October 18, 1968
The N.C. Essay
Page 3
REV
NOBLbSlMAVSDNE
HGHLGHTS CONCKT
by Massie Johnson
An orchestra's opening concert
is always a combination of at least
two elements from the listeners
standpoitn; a backward look to the
standard sst the previous season and
more important* an evaluation o f
what the group's potential is for
the present year.
Practically no orchestra can
function at maximum efficiency on
the opening concert when many members
are still playing as individuals
alone rather than with a combination
of individuality and self-restraint
which is the requisite of a true en
semble players. After all, fine or
chestral style is based on a magni
fied chamber music approach in which
all players subordinate certain as
pects of their individuality to the
overall ensemble concept.
The outstanding performance by
the N.C. School of the Arts Orches
tra under Mr. John luele last Friday
night was Hindemith's modern master
piece Noblissima Visione. Above all
one applauds Mr. luele's choice of a
20th Century "standard" and we can
only hope that each concert this
season will contain at least one
substantial composition to this cen
tury (suggestions: Bartok's Concerto
for Orchestra or Miraculous Mandavin
Suite, one of the three famous Stra
vinsky Ballets..how about Petrouchka
as a start...., Prokofiev's 5th Sjmi-
phony, etc.)
The orchestra was at its best
and most assured in this powerful
work. Mention should be made of the
sensitive balance between solo flute
and strings in the Rondo of the
first movement and the powerful and
rich sound of brass, timpani and
percussion in the final Passacaglia,
with the small string section pro
ducing an amazing amount of sound to
balance this.
As a matter of fact, the strings
are the most consistent group in the
orchestra and this was particularly
evident during the first half of the
concert. Of course, the strings
carry much of the musical burden in
repertoire of the late Classical and
early Romantic periods and each sec
tion was rarely less than very good
in both the Weber Overture and Befe-
thoven 8th Symphony. The first vio
lins, with fine and assured leader
ship, w e -r e indeed outstanding
through the entire concert.
All orchestras are plague by
problems of ensemble and intonation
and this group is no exception. The
Freischutz Overture was marred at
points by overly heary playing and
slow attacks from those instruments
in the rear of the orchestra (this
sluggishness was also evident in the
Finale of the Beethoven Symphony - a
kinetic movement if there ever was
one!). However, the most serious
problem is that of intonation, es
pecially as regards the woodwinds.
SIMON t GARF.
AT DUKE
Two chartered buses of NCSA
students left at five o'clock Satur
day, October 12, for Duke University
where we heard Simon & Garfunkel in
concert. The performance was given
in the gym.
Simon carrying his guitar, and
Garfunkel danced onto stage singing
"Mrs. Robinson" as many people have
seen "The Graduate" (from which this
song is taken) tl^e audience Is atten
tion was immediately captured and
held throughout the program.
Before intermission, Simon &
Garfunkel seemed to be simply going
through the motions of performing.
Their singing could not compare with
their records. However, the audi
ence was pleased and completely en
joyed it.
After intermission, Simon & Gar
funkel came back on stage, Garfunkel
wearing jeans and a red shirt. Fea
tured in this part of the program
were Garfunkel's singing "For Emily,
Wherever I May Find Her". T h
genda also included many of the
lesser known songs from their albums.
For their last number they did,
"Sounds of Silence", during which
the lighting faded into total dark
ness. The audience completely a-
roused, rose and clapped like thund
er. As an encore Simon & Garfunkel
sang two short pieces. Once more
the audience arose and clapped, de
mand ir g more. The singers returned
and sang "Bye, Bye Happiness". For
the last time the audience stood as
they clapped.
The second movement of the Symphony
(and at other points also) was a
particularly shocking example of a
section thafc-^as not playing in tune
with the rest of the Orchestra or in
tune within itself. Surely this is
an aspect that must improve in the
future.
In the final analysis, however,
this was a commendable first concert
of which Mr. luele and the Orchestra
can be rightly proud. There is a
professional assurance about many of
these players that is admirable and
one eagerly anticipates their future
programs.
AN EVENING OF DANCE
{Gon't from page 1)
sented last month in Norway and Isra
el. The ballet is based on paint
ings by the Norwegian eypressionist,
Edvard Munch. Music is Five Pieces
for Orchestra (Op. 15) by Arnold
Schoenberg.
POETRY AS
AN ART FORM
by John Gabriel
A High School Soph.
From the time man gave up ani
mal ways, he has always had certain
inborn desires which he satisfied
through the Arts. Even the most
primitive people have fibers of
music, dance, and the plastic art
woven deeply into their culture.
The more civilized societies find
asthetic values not only in the Arts
but in poetry. The same desires
satisfeid by music, art, dancing,
and drama are fulfilled in poetry.
Probably the strongest of man's
desires is to communicate. Man is a
social being. He has always wanted
companions, and a way in which to
convey his feelings to them. People
are ill-at-ease when they cannot
communicate. "It is disgusting to
watch the semi-mute world of animal
nature; the admirable bearing of a
horse, sparkling eyes, nervous ears
and skin; agile, firm movements; an
air of alertness and intelligence
and yet, silent, alone, isolate."
Except for language, the Arts
have always been the principle means
of communication for man. They ex
press the ideas and feelings of the
artist to the public, and their per
formance is so much enjoyed that
theatres, records, art galleries,
and dance studios are found in every
major city of the world. There is
also a great personal satisfaction
for an artist whose performance or
creation is understood as well as
enjoyed. There is no greater com
pliment for a painter than to be
told his art "means' a lot to a per
son or that it "says" something to
him. This is the case in all the
Arts, Their greatest purpose is to
communicate.
Another strong desire behind
the Arts is to create. "Creation of
forms results from another wage, a
different type of psychological need
...it is the impulse to project our
ego. It is also a manner of giving
way to our natural mimetic condition
...we live in a universe of creation
and we ourselves want to be to
create in our turn, too; we ourselves
have a given form, and we want to
give birth to creatures of a given
shape, also in art, this urge is
satisfied only for the artist. That
is why all elementBry''schodls have
art and music classes, and why ama
teur art is becoming such a popular
hobby.
Because plastic art of any form
is usually displayed, giving the ar-
tisti the satisfaction not only of
creating, but of communicating. A
more specific example is in the per
forming arts. Any musician knows
the satisfaction o f successfully
working out an etude, although' he
will never perform it; two dancers
will sepnd hours working oir^ a Pas
de Deux, perely for the sace of per
fection.
(con't on p. 4- col. 3)