Bravo! 2009
Spit and Polish
Live! Real! Music!
ON SALE NOW!
Mariza
April 26
at the Hult
NETworks Presents
BY SUZI STEFFEN
I
Borodin Quartet
Jan. 25 at Beall Hall
“ A visual
and lyrical
treat for
the whole
family! ”
– THE HOLLYWOOD
REPORTER
PHTO BY JOAN MARCUS
n the past year, I’ve heard wonderful,
gorgeous music. I’ve watched brass
players with their polished instruments
record an album (Quadre’s Horns for
the Holidays). I’ve downloaded Indian
raga/jazz fusion from iTunes (Rudresh
Manhanthappa’s Kinsmen). And, along with
thousands of other Eugene-area people, I
enjoyed each of the three audition concerts
for Eugene Symphony music director
candidates. The tremendous attendance,
with each of the three free concerts “sold
out,” demonstrated how much the Eugene
community cares about live symphonic
music; and the Symphony’s hiring
committee did the right thing by choosing
the most musically attuned of the three.
Like many of you, I love listening to
music on my iPod, and I’m always glad when
I can prepare for a concert by downloading
one of the famous performances available
on iTunes. I prefer recordings that don’t
have static, that are balanced and mixed
to musical near-perfection. But no CD, no
album, no tape, no digital recording — no
matter how perfect the acoustics — can
show listeners the same physical passion
we see during live performances. Whether
it’s a senior recital or the Borodin Quartet
(Jan. 25) at the acoustically splendid Beall
Hall; whether it’s current music director
Giancarlo Guerrero leading the Symphony
in the towering Mahler 5 (Jan. 22) or
incoming music director Danail Rachev
taking the podium in a guest appearance
for the Grieg Piano Concerto (March 19);
whether it’s UO profs Molly Barth and
Brian McWhorter’s fabulous Beta Collide
(Feb. 16), the Portland Baroque Orchestra
(Feb. 22) or the Bach Fest’s special
presentation of Angela Hewitt (March 3);
whether the Oregon Mozart Players give us
All Amadeus (Feb. 28/March 1) or the Hult
shows off the mad fado skills of Mariza
(April 26), this winter and spring promise
shows that glory in ethereal sound made,
emphatically, by humans in the fl esh.
Some musicians rock back and forth;
some sway (the Symphony’s principal
fl utist does both). Musicians tap their feet
lightly to keep the beat during rehearsals
and stamp their feet when conductors
please them. Brass players empty spit
during performances; oboe players suck on
reeds to keep them wet; the string players
perform various and constant adjustments
to tuning. This is work, and hard work
during certain pieces of music; the intensity
and excitement roll out during the best
performances and captivate the audience.
So be captivated! From free concerts to the
spendiest tickets at the Hult, there’s a price
point, as marketing folk say, for every
music lover out there as our dark nights
slowly lighten.
ew
®
THE BRAND NEW PRODUCTION
March 16 • Hult Center
January 23 & 24 • Hult Center
©2008 HIT Entertainment Limited and Keith Chapman. All rights reserved.
david
sedaris
The hilarious
#1 book seller
on the
New York Times
Book Review
April 24, 2009
Hult Center
March 28 & 29 • Hult Center
SITTING PRETTY!
Photo: Scott Suchman
Clay bee: Amy Vangsgard
Starring John O’Hurley as King Arthur!
April 28–May 3
Hult Center
May 30 & 31 • Hult Center
TICKETS: www.hultcenter.org • (541) 682-5000 • Hult Center box office
U of Oregon ticket office (EMU) Groups (15+): call (541) 744-1962
Info: www.BroadwayInEugene.com
BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
EUGENE WEEKLY JANUARY 8, 2009 21