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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1978)
Singer’s folk music conveys local, world political struggles By DEBBIE ABE Folk singer Susan Arrow is ready and willing to aid the causes of oppressed people by sharing with them her energy and music. An average practice session finds Arrow preparing a gig for a political group or cause. She has recently sung for a Trojan Decommissioning Alliance demonstration, the Interna tional Women’s Day program at the Atrium and a support group for the striking miners. She is currently preparing sev eral numbers for Solidarity Day for South Africans. Arrow feels that folk music is a very powerful way of com municating, particularly when it concerns a people s struggle. “Folk music is the way peo ple convey their struggle,” she says. “Song was the way the Vietnamese kept their spirits up through all of the bombing. The Irish have had many songs about their struggle against the English. “When I sang at the coal miners’ support group, they (the members) kept saying that throughout the history of the union struggle in the coal fields, there have been songs about their struggle and condi tions in the mines. They’ve used song as a means of communication and solidarity.” Because Arrow feels she has access to many obscure songs, a good memory and a large repertoire, she feels commited to share her music because “it's important that we know how others have dealt with oppression.” Currently a La^p Community College electronics and music student, Arrow has played six and 12-string guitar for 14 years and recently has learned to play the laud, a Portuguese mandolin-like instrument. She has a strong and clear voice which landed the folk singer her first major professional job at the famous Troubadour dub in London. Arrow comments, “They hired me because it was a very, very noisy place and I could be heard over the talking. I belted out every song and really whomped on the guitar.” Arrow became the resident folk singer at the club and played there once a week for a year. A researcher and student of folk music as well as a per former, Arrow spends much time searching for new mater ial. She especially likes “turn around songs” that involve a surprising and different pers pective of the relationships be tween men and women. A di ligent searcher of such folk songs, Arrow once did a pro ject examining that type of song, but found that they are few in number. One she did locate is entitled “Little Phoebe.” The folk song involves a farmer and his wife trading jobs for a week, and the farmer learning how much har der his wife has to work than he. Arrow became curious about the turn-around folk songs as a result of her feminist interests. Considering herself, above all her many other interests, a feminist and musician, Arrow has gradually become in terested in women’s lives and particularly in how folk songs reflect their lives. She draws heavily on the material of Frankie Armstrong, an English feminist, and Ruthie Gorton, a socialist and feminist from Los Angeles. Because much of the music she performs is unpublished, Arrow must search for a record ing or performer of a song she wishes to leam, tape record it, Susan Arrow listen to it a few times and leam the melody and words by ear. She usually works out her own accompaniment and many times prefers to sing a cappella (without accompaniment). “I’m finding that when I sing a cap pella, people in restaurants tend to listen more because obviously the words are impor tant if there’s no accompani ment,” she says. Arrow adapts her sets ac cording to what type of event or audience she performs for. For instance, she is currently learn ing songs about South Africa by Ruthie Gorton for the South Africa Solidarity Day. If she plays at a restaurant such as the Homefried Truckstop, she throws in songs with which the audience will be familiar; for example, a song by the Beatles or Joni Mitchell. Arrow plays regularly in the Eugene area at various func tions and at restaurants such as Homefried Truckstop, Honey’s Cafe and Gertrudes. She will perform on April 15 at the University of Oregon as part of the Women’s Sym posium. Watch for her name in the newspaper for other dates and places. Eugene Opera pleases despite obstacles Eugene Opera's production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni is full of happy surprises despite formida ble difficulties of staging and sing ing. The play is an unusual combi nation of comic and serious ele ments, recounting the last days of Don Juan, the legendary Spansih lover. It begins when he murders the Commandatore, who has ap prehended the disguised Don ab ducting his daughter Donna Anna. There follow various comic and serious scenes in which Don Giovanni tries to disrupt the inci pient wedding of two peasants, Masetto and Zerlina, by charming Zerlina into his bed. Numerous times one of his jilted lovers, Donna Elvira, interrupts his seduction. She warns him that his loose living will lead to his ruin. Throughout the opera Donna WE HAVE THE LOWEST PRICES ON: • All strings - 20% off * Finest Guitars - Martin, Ovation. Takamint, Vega. Sigma • Repair work - FREE ESTIMATES Anna and her betrother, Don Ot tavio, search for her father’s mur derer. Even though they discover that Don Juan/Giovanni did it, the final act of vengeance emerges unexpectedly from the world beyond the grave: a statue of the Commandatore is animated by his ghost, which compels the mur derer and profligate to enter the jaws of Hell. The remaining characters sing the moral of the opera, as if it weren’t obvious enough already. Although the production as a whole is uneven, there are many fine moments. Neil Wilson (Don Giovanni) and Elwy Jones (Leporello) work well together, providing the funniest moments in the opera. Wilson sings superbly; Jones, although he doesn’t have a typically “operatic” voice, sings convincingly and with great as surance. Guy Aydelott (Don Ot tavio) has made impressive im provements as an actor since last DISCOUNT For Service and Repairs with your University of Oregon I.D. (students, faculty and staff; At Siegrist Volkswagen-Alfa Romeo you receive • Personalized service from our experienced factory trained personnel • Who give your car the attention to detail the larger dealer can’t afford • The lowest rates of any authorized Volkswagen dealer in western Oregon plus a 10% discount with your U of O I.D. We service Ferrari, Fiat and Audi Leasing/Daily Rentals/Courtesy Bus Service Service hours 730-530 Mon -Fri Sales hours 800 am-900 pm. Mon Sat 1200-600 Sunday /IEGRI/T VOLKSWAGEN • ALFA ROMEO ^ 1570 SOUTH A SPRINGFIELD 746 8241 Page 10 Section B year’s Carmen; his singing is ex cellent. Susan St. John (Donna Anna) and Virginia Hurwitz (Zerlina) are also fine singers. Hurwitz seems hardt are a felicitious combination. The uncut version of Don Giovanni — which they have cho sen to present — is long and po tentially boring to all but By RAY FREEDMAN Don Giovanni more at ease in her role as the coquettish peasant girl; St. John has a more difficult task in portray ing a dutiful daughter seeking her father s murderer, and is less at ease on stage. Patricia Eysenbach (Donna El vira) is stronger dramatically than musically. This is unfortunate since her role is as musically im portant as it is dramatically crucial. Kevin Boling (the Commandatore) is passable but generally weak. Larry Evans (Masetto) is a fine baritone and an outrageous mug ger in his role as a peasant buf foon. Musical director Philip Bayles and dramatic director Betty Bern aficionados. Bayles and Bern hardt have paced the music and action so well that the length is never apparent, and the comic business is done so well that one is never bored. The orchestra plays quite well; the woodwinds deserve special praise. The multilevel set is a good idea that seems incompletely realized. The lighting is generally ineffectual, except in the final scene, which is appropriately stunning. The costumes range from competent to excellent. Despite technical and musical unevenness, Eugene Opera's Don Giovanni is definitely worth your time and money. Piroshki Nikolais Original 850 Vegetarian 850 The Slavic answer to Tacos Jo Chinburg, Modem Guitarist performs Friday & Saturday Nights Slavic & American Food Where two people can dine in an Old World atmosphere for under $10. 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