I came to hear “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten” because I am a big Arvo Pärt fan. It is a very mesmerizing piece. Loved watching the strings play at different tempos by halves against each other. The percusionist had the bells just right. When he struck the last note, it was submerged by the sound of the orchestra but the sustain rang through just right when the orchestra came to a halt. The resonance was spine chilling to me.
The two Britten pieces were a nice surprise as some of his music leaves me cold. Watching the pianist was like watching a rock star with all the glisondos and pyrotechnics that Britten wrote in his hot show piece.
Mieczysław Weinberg was the evening’s delight. Where has this composer been all my life? The two selections were a perfect way to introduce his music, a fiery violin showpiece and an exhilarating symphony. I’ll be searching for other Weinberg music from now on.

I found Ragamala Dance rather disappointing. At first I was intrigued about the dance, the drawing on the floor, the spreading of the dust. But as time progressed little changed, then it became monotonous, then finally tedious. I liked the costumes and back drops. As for the music I heard what sounded like a sitar drone but no sitar was visible. I liked the violin and percussion but I found the male soloist had the most grating, irritating voice and it just went on and on. The only way to make it tolerable was to plug me ears.

Too crowded, too short, too expensive. Liked the visuals.

This was totally unexpected music from Darius Milhaud from one who only knew “Creation of the Earth” and “Bull on the Roof.” The “Oresteian Trilogy” was more like the soundtrack from one of those bombastic Roman spectacle movies from the 1960’s.
The music and the chorals were amazing, but my favorite part was the percussion barrage at the end of the second episode. I counted 12 percussionists plus timpani and loved it when they were wailing away on instruments I’ve never seen before, especially that loud wooden hex-box drum.
Not sure I liked the moral implications of the murderous, revenge-laden Greek narrative; women kills man is disgusting and totally unacceptable but man kills woman revenge is honorable and pardonable. The endless cycle of hate and bloody revenge can get wearing, like Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus.” Agamemnon has never been a sympathetic character (“Honey, I’m home, and meet the new wife) and I think he got what he deserved, so all the boo-hooing about his unfair demise got tedious. I think I enjoyed the concert more when I stopped looking at the superscripts and just listened to the music and untranslated vocals.
I hope the recording came out good, I look forward to the CD release (on Naxos I presume).

I really enjoyed the Bach/Piazzolla match up. I was fun to compare and contrast an old great classical master with a modern composer’s classical interpretations, just as I have enjoyed hearing Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons together. While I enjoyed the opening Mendelssohn string quartet, I was so bedazzled, inspired and awed by the Bach/Piazzolla that I thought the second Mendelssohn would be a let down, so I left at intermission. I happily hummed Bach and Piazzolla all the way home.

If the fire marshall had showed up they would’ve shut the place down. There was no good reason to keep a sold out audience in the lobby for half an hour. Bad weather is no excuse to treat people like cattle. I expect that from rock show promoters, not the University Musical Society.

Someone wrote about her delicate solos… me, I wish there was a volume knob so I could hear her better. There were a few passages where she just faded away. Maybe I’m just cranky because my audience neighbor’s were so rude… coughing, talking, cellphones ringing, kicking the back of my seat, perfume so strong I could taste it. Plus I spent an hour that driving to Ann Arbor in the snow to see her and she was on stage less than 1/2 an hour… hardly seems fair.

I really enjoyed the music in tonight’s performance. All three compositions (by Barber, Hummel and Satie) were new to me. I’ll probably never hear Satie’s “Socrates” live ever again, so I was glad I was there.

This was the second time in a week I have heard the Four Seasons (the other was the Musicians of the Detroit Symphony at Christchurch Cranbrook). I liked both concerts as each ensemble brought different musical elements of the music to light that allow me to appreciate the music more. This was the first time I could actually hear the harpsichord, although it was in competition with the lute. The musicians standing as they played was odd at first, but I thought it gave them some freedom that music the music feel more spontaneous. I really enjoyed the Philip Glass Four American Seasons. Like all his music it puts one in a dreamy, trance-like state. I was humming that tune all the way home. My compliants are not with the musicians, but the venue and the audience. Why are the house lights on so bright during the entire performance? It's especially bad in the balcony with those oval lights on the ceiling. Why did no one clap between the concertos? I have never been to a Four Season concert were the people didn't applaud between seasons. And the lack luster applause at the end just seemed rude.

My poor concert experiences at St. Francis of Assisi are mostly light related. Seems no matter where I sit there is some harsh spotlight shining directly in my eyes. Those on-stage lamps were just blinding. I couldn't see a thing and by intermission I had a headache. I really wanted to stay for the rest of the show, but between the eye strain and the numbness in my legs from the seating, I left instead. I loved the music I heard.