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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2001)
Eugene Percussion Symphony to rock Hult Center ■Tonight’s performance will feature ‘Night of the Mayas’ and an instrumental piece for four horn soloists By Lisa R. Griffing Oregon Daily Emerald The audience swelled to rhyth mic tribal tunes while the vibra tions of the bass drum shook the air. The dynamic blend of melodies and beats created by a variety of exotic instruments filled the Hult Cen ter. Modern Latin music and a drum cir cle mix are the forces behind R e v u e 11 a s ’ piece “La Noche de los Mayas” or “Night of the Mayas,” per formed by the Eugene Percussion Symphony during a Jan. 11 pre view. Eugene Symphony conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, who has also conducted the Fort Worth Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will conduct “Night of the Mayas” tonight at the Hult Center for Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Another performance will be Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Florence Convention and Performing Arts Center. HARTH-BEDOYA “Miguel is a very fine conductor with good rapport,” said Peter Burquoist, a retired music profes sor from the University and a mu sic critic for The Register-Guard. “He is technically secure, and he engages the audience. I am expect ing an enjoyable performance.” Musicians used Latin instru ments such as congas, marimba, tunkel, drums, rattles and a caracol (conch shell). The caracol was used to “add color to all the groove that was go ing on,” said conch shell player and University student Julie Bounds. “It’s a very unique mixture,” di rector Charles Dowd said. The rapid rhythms swept the au dience into dance mode. People from the audience rose from their seats to dance, while some tapped their feet. Many were smiling dur ing the preview for the upcoming “Night of the Mayas.” “It's a festive piece that has no cliches,” Dowd said. Schumann’s “Konzertsiick for Four Horns, Opus 86” will also be included in the performance. Harth-Bedoya has arranged four horn soloists, which is “very rare,” principle horn player Edward Mc Manus said. “It is a piece that is rarely played because it’s extremely rare and dif ficult to get four horn soloists to gether,” percussion player Tim Cogswell said. “It is a real treat.” “Schumann creates images in his compositions; they’re very evocative,” said Maria Smith, a music professor at the University. The array of instruments in this piece will include a piccolo, two Miguel is a very fine conductor with good rapport. He is technically secure, and he engages the audience. I am expecting an enjoyable performance. Peter Burquoist music critic flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons; two horns, two trumpets, three trombones; tim pani; strings; and four solo horns. The weave of the four horn soloists and the other instruments creates a smashing finale. “Konzertsiick for Four Horns, Opus 86” is “acrobatic, fun, fast and ends with an extreme fanfare quality that’s fun to listen to,” said Robert Hurwitz, a Lane Communi ty College professor of music. “It’s a 17-minute-long piece.” Tickets range from $14 to $38 and $10 for students. For more in formation, visit www.eugenesym phony.org. Cliff Cole Courtesy Clive, played by David Beck, and Mrs. Saunders (Ariel Pearlson) share a moment in the first act of the play ‘Cloud 9.’ Comedy explores history of sexuality ■ ‘Cloud 9’ portrays the humorous aspect of the evolution of sexism and gender roles By Rebecca Wilson Oregon Daily Emerald This evening, the Lord Leebrick Theatre Company will present “Cloud 9,” a comedy that focuses on sexuality, gender roles, preju dice and sexism over the course of a century. Director Corey Pearlstein said the play addresses issues especially relevant to young people. “This is not your mother’s play,” he said. Pearlstein explained that play wright Caryl Churchill wrote “Cloud 9” in order to challenge both liberal and conservative so cial constructs. The first act of the play is set around a family in 1880 Africa, which is inundated with Victorian mores and British colo nialism. Act 2 finds most of the same characters in London in 1980, but they have only aged 25 years. It seems the social rules and sexual repression have evaporated along with the British Empire; however a loss and longing still remain. “Characters also change race and gender,” Pearlstein said. “The play examines the failures of the social construct... by having people fuck a lot and saying all the terrible things that come out of people’s mouths,” Pearlstein said. “And it’s funny!” In the first act, actor Scott Wed dell plays Joshua, a black servant to Clive, a British patriarch. “Caryl Churchill [the playwright] intentionally wrote the part of Joshua to be played by a white ac tor,” Weddell said, “because white people wanted their native servants to ‘act white.’” In the second act, Weddell plays Gerry, “a gay, red-haired Scorpio in London.” Ariel Pearlson also changes char acter and roles and described act Turn to Comedy, page7B Tom Patterson Emerald Bryan Malito, a doctoral student from Ontario, Canada, beats on a timpani. The energy of ‘Night of the Mayas’ is produced by an extensive percussion section. I Don't throw your money away. Use your Duck Bucks™. Smk Save with these money-saving coupons every term!
