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Show R8 - THE - 2000 ARTS - RED " . . . .... 'Sv' Se rve a p S k a nayi, Syrn phony Succulent Schumann by Brent Olson While occasionally the basses would pulsate with passion, often everything but the violins and horns seemed muted. Guest conductor Bcrnhard Klee gave Skanavi free reign to move the piece forward as she saw fit and appeared to be just as enthralled by the beauty of her playing as by the audience. Skanavi spent most of the work crouched close to the keys, pulling a delicate yet vibrant range of tones from them. Each section seemed to logically and thematically flow into the next The horns responded especially well to Skanavi, advancing and retreating as necessary to fill a wide variety of roles. To close the evening, Klee led the Utah Symphony in Johannes Brahms' symphony No. 4 in E rom a majestic Faust overture to the tender tones of Schumann's piano concerto in A minor, the Utah Symphony provided a veritable feast of music to cap oiT the Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately, too many potential audience members must have stayed at home to cat leftovers because the turnout was abysmal at best. Also, the emotional connection between the symphony and audience was often shaky, perhaps because both were already satiated by the edible delights found earlier in the week. Even so, pianist Katia Skanavi's performance of Robert Schumann's piano concerto in A minor was beautiful enough to create and fill a profound aural need. Opening with gentle, crystalline notes, Skanavi proved a capable interpreter of the work and gave the symphony a solid base on which to minor. Klee's conducting seemed to be a series of gestures that were only loosely connected. Still, under his direction, the symphony captured the melancholy indecisiveness of the first move- build. The evening's unusual arrangement on stage; with the second violins taking the place of the cellos and basses up front, created a warm sound, but was at times both visual ment However, that particular mix of emotions is rarely, if ever, associated (hoinid The with Thanksgiving, and only heiped to contribute to the disconnection between the audience, symphony and conductor. The second movement featured a series of captivating echoes created by pizzicato strings, but was of minor significance when compared with the joyous third movement, featuring everyone's favorite elementary school instrument, the tri- ly and aurally disconcerting. The fourth movement then returned the audience to the cool emotions found in the first two. Although it was not done poorly, such an introspective, melancholy work is typically not a good fit for the Christmas season. Hopefully, however, Skanavi will return to the Utah on a regular basis, and this weekend's upcoming holiday concerts will be merry. On Dec. 1 and 2, James Judd will conduct Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije Suite, Alexander Glazunov's violin concerto and Piotr Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" Act 2. Dec. 3 and 4, the Utah Symphony will be joined by the Utah Symphony Chorus and the entire audience c in the annual sing-i- n of George Handel's Messiah. thB music being created at the time. VHi Behind The Musk: 1368 is a political history with a United States emphasis juxtaposed with a musical history. The result is a critical narrative, almost as addictive as the the Music" series, which adds weight and emotion to the events and music that shaped our society as we know it, and that continue to influence the way we approach politics. 1968 chronologically follows the tumultuous year through many of its most dramatic events, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, protests violently squelched in Prague and at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Tet Offensive, the election cf Nixon, activism and, of course, the Vietnam War. Woven throughout all of these events are descriptions by ' famous musicians and music critics of the time. Through their narratives, they recapture the scene the tension, the danger, the anger and the unrest. One chapter is dedicated to women in rock and roll (mainly Janis Joplin and Grace Slick), and another chapter focuses on the black movement, on protests King and his foiled against the Black Panthers, and what led them to embrace violence when nothing else seemed to work. The idea of considering women and blacks separately is somewhat patronizing to both groups. Although the attention does help to illustrate specifically that peo- civil-righ- . 1 '"V ft i 4 T V!- r X f 1 Bmhms bring beautiful ht&rd What VHi "Behind - us to...tk Scrooge... I r Mr " Frid-eri- n ig63, history was in the making. And for an entire generation, that history was irrevocably tied to the incredible $11.95 ft n ch by Kathryn Cowtes Wayne Robins Pocket Books 121 pages ' 7 angle. Soundtrack of Politics VHi Behind The Music: 1968 t 7'. civil-righ- ts ts non-viole- nt . s VHI, paga R9 . symphony program. ' the Byjenn Henry the giant in Mickey's "Christmas coking for the Christmas spirit? Does that search for Piaysta- tiortt have you growling "Bah Humbug?" Then Kale Center Theater has a holiday treat just for you. Hale Center Theater's "A Christmas Carol mixes the traditional Dickens storyline with modem-da- y stage technology. The Hale has treated Utah theatergoers with a Scrooge production every holiday season, since 1985. Stalling off with an enthusiastic, if meager, crowd, the production has spectacugrown into a month-lon- g lar that never fails to sell out The reason people com e again and again to Hale Center's "A Christmas Carol" is thanks to one big Bah Humbug! It's the man himself: Scrooge. e Hale boasts one of the stage's great Scrooges. Scrooge has been played by Brigham Young University Professor Richard G. Wilkins since Hale's premier of the play. A veteran of the stage, Wilkins never fails to keep old Ebenezer as exunchy as a pine cone. While you might expect the performance to have faded after all these years, Wilkins continues to outdo himself. He brings 3 depth to old Scrooge that can't be outdone in Utah. This yaar, Wilkins will also ba directing the show. This is the first ' time Hale's "A Christmas Carol" will be directed by Scrooge himself. ' If he is abk to put even an ounce of the sparkle he exudes on stage into the direction of the play, then theatergoers are in for a treat While adding his own flavor to the production, Wilkins does promise to keep the show tiaditionaL M:o Mowing tradition, Tom Stem will btt donning the robes of Christinas Present once again thi3 year, as he has for the past 16. Boisterous and full of vitality, not even Wilkins and Stem play off of each other wonderfully, creating the perfect Dickens characters. However deep the traditions run, though, Hale is always set to add something a little extra special to each year's show. The lavish Victorian-era costumes (premiered last year) along with new stage design are sure to make this production a Christmas event for the whole fami- - Carol" can compete. ! all-tim- 'Also introduced last year was the character of Charles Dickens himself as a narrator who brings the audience into the show right from the opening moments. His presence also grounds the show, as it is narrated by a person the audience can see and not by some disembodied voice, As seen last year, there will also be live musicians for the musical numbers. The live musicians are diessed in the same rich costumes seen on the other characters. They make the brief periods between scenes enjoyable, creating a flow for the whole show. Hale's "A Christmas Carol" is the show to catch to regain your holiday spirit If you've never seen it before, you are missing out on one of Utah's great holiday treats. "A Christmas Carol" is the perfect lead-ifor a night at the Dickens Festival out at the State Fair Park. Hale's show is a Utah tradition and holiday classic th at shouldn't be missed. "A Christinas Carol" is playing at Hale Center Theater Dec. 2 through 23 and is already selling out Shews are Monday through Saturday at 8 p.m. with matinees nearly e'try day Tickets run from $12 to $18, depending on which performance. To reserve tickor go to the ets, call theater itself at 3333 Decker Lake Dr. (across porn the E Center). Family-friendl- y n |
