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page 14 January 31, 1986

  

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Rudolph Barshai deserves enthus-
iastic congratulations for his appoint-
ment as musical director and principle
conductor of the Vancouver Symphony
Orchestra. The V.S.O.’s brilliant per-
formance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Con-
certo No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Opus 23,
Mark Zeltser pianist and Shostako-
vich’s Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, on
Tuesday January 21 was of high
quality and full of energy.

Russian born Mark Zeltser began
playing at age six and performing at
age eight. M. Zeltser’s concert career
began after he won several major
competitions, including the National
Competition in Moscow.

When Tchaikovsky took his Piano
Concerto No. 1 to Nicholas Rubin-
stein for appraisal of the work, Rubin-
stein refused to perform the work
unless Tchaikovsky revised the entire
concerto. The piece that Rubinstein
dismissed as ‘‘unperformable’’ and
‘poorly composed’’ has become one
of the best known works of Tchaikov-
_sky’s, and a favourite of symphony
_ goers and performers alike. ¥

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Mr. Zeltser’s performance of Tchai- 3

    
 

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The Other Press

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kovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was
energetic considering the difficulty of
the piece, and his feel for the
keyboard, as well as the music, is
equal to that of the most sensitive
concert pianists.

Dimitri Shostakovich was one of the
few composers to stay and work in his
native Russia after the revolution. A
supporter of the revolutionary govern-
ment, some of Shostakovich’s better
works, such as his fourth symphony,
were admonished by the government
on ideological grounds. But Shostako-
vich managed to rise above the ideo-
logical restrictions placed on him by
the government and went on to write
his Fifth Symphony in D Minor, one
of his most popular works.

Upcoming in the Jubilee Series on
February 16, 17 and 18 is Judith Forst
who will join the V.S.O. in a program
featuring arias from Carmen and
Romeo and Juliet. The program will
also include Haydn’s Symphony No.
83. For ticket information call the
C.B.O. at 280-4444.

= by JENNIFER WHITESIDE

 

| was primed for NRBQ now. | had
never before heard the music of the
foursome from Saugerties, N.Y. | had,
however heard the legends. A lot ot
‘this is what rock n’ roll is all about.’
and .Tome, of the Medallion’s
claims that this was a
dream come true for his band and
himself. My background: A:band of
little recognition or due success with
monumental importance and latent
potential who had historically bounced
from label to label, no label willing to
properly promote the band. They
have had a steady, lightly above
ground following for the past 15 years
or so, and one ‘hit’ about 5 years ago,
‘Driving in my car."

The band, when they played, struck
me as being ‘nice’ and ‘pleasant’
more than anything. {No sarcasm!)
The music was very much that
oldtime rock n’ roll stuff, of earlier
genre and with more ‘roll’ than the
cover material of the Medallion. The
prime mover of the-band was the
keyboardist. This guy was shakin’
Jerry Lee Lewis all over again,
including feet, elbows and other parts

of the body not meant to tickle the,

ivories doing just that. Visually, both
he and the bassist/vocalist looked like
they had stepped straight out of their
beginning days. The music was fun
and very comfortable at the:same time
Even in the most..active songs, a
rather soothing .atmosphere was

maintained. This wa very refreshing
to the writer who h ;

  

; ugh z
up on stuff meant to jolt’ and stir.

NRBQ, by the end of the first set, had
managed to make me quite fond of
them. My friends and | left during
the intermission to get some eats, and
we weren't inspired to go back.

Perhaps the music was too nice— very _

enjoyable, but also indescribable.
NRBQ is arguably the best band

 

  

are being offered a rare opportunity to
enjoy one of the most influential and
- innovative classical works of the
twentieth century. *

Pierrot Lunaire is a piece for six
instruments and voice by Arnold
Schoenberg (1874-1951), who is rank-
ed with Debussy and Stravinsky as
artists who have done the most to
shape. the musical forms of the past
eighty years. It is being offered as
part of the Noon at New West concert
series at Douglas College, at 12:30
p.m. on Thursday, February. 6.

Henry Waack, the organizer of the
series, explains ‘‘we thought people
should be exposed to more contem-
porary work,-as well as the classics.’

Douglas College instructor and flau-
tist in the concert, Kathy Cernauskas,
adds, ‘‘It’s a rare opportunity for
students. In the seventy-four years
since the work was first performed,
it’s only been done once before here
in Vancouver.”’

| A rare musical o

The people of the Lower Mainland.

 

Pierrot Lunaire was:the work which
first brought Schoenberg and _ his
innovative style into public promin-
ence. In it, twenty-one poems (written
in French, scored in German, and
performed here in English translation)
are set to music using two of the ideas
which Schoenberg was. developing.

The first is Sprechtstimme, or
““speak-voice’’, a new vocal tech-
nique. Cernauskas describes this as
“like Rex Harrison singing I’ve
Grown Accustomed to Your Face—the
words are pitched, but don’t use the
full singing voice.’’

The piece also anticipates the de-
velopment of Schoenberg’s 12 Tone
technique, which was to revolutionize
modern music. This uses a scale of
twelve chromatic tones in which the
composer sets the order, rather than
the usual major or minor scales.
Twelve tone is neutral, implying no
particular key—as a result, the old
rules of harmony and melody don’t
apply.

ering

Part of the reason it is rarely played
is the extreme complexity of the work.
But this was an interesting challenge
to Philippe Etter, violist for the
Purcell String Quartet. It was Etter
who- inspired the interest in doing
Pierrot Lunaire here.

The group which will be performing
was assembled from across the Lower
Mainland—‘‘we’ve all played together
before in various combinations,’’ said
Cernauskas. It includes conductor
lan Hampton of the Purcell, Gene
Ramsbottom on clarinet, cellist Sue
Round, soprano Margerite Noye, and
Melinda Coffey on piano.

Cernauskas added the group would
be performing the piece twice more,
on February 1st at the Langley
Community Music School, and for the
Ramkoff Concert Society at the West
Vancouver Presbyterian Church on
February 7th. For further information,
please contact 986-6838.

by JEREMY BLOOM

RHYTHM

 

about in their chosen genre; in the
midst of the bewildering variety of
existing music, NRBQ is refreshing
when contrasted with the heavily
consumer-oriented trash prevalent on
the airwaves, but also so typically R &
R and R & B that the N in the NRBOQ
seems rather ironic.

NRBQ, New Rhythm and Blues
Quartet, played The Commodore
Ballroom on Wednesday the 15th.
Opening for them were Bruno
Gerussi’s Medallion.

Bruno Gerussi’s medallion were a
‘thematically correct’ opening act for
NRBQ. .. They played a solid set of
Ye Olde: ‘Rocke and Rolle, highlighted
by the band’s theme song which was
written ‘by official Expo Folk-rock
Quasi- luniinary and Prophet of Gorgo,
David M.*%:.of NoFun. With the
exception of ‘a few of the Medallions
orginals, the ‘test of the set consisted
of faithful or séundly warped covers.
Singer Tom Ha¥é€ison, who during the
day is the mild fannered rock critic
for The Provincé:: was a little stiff
seeming at first, récalling a compari-
tively bland performance at the Club
Theatre (where they played with the
Subterraneans), but warmed the
crowd and after the short. time,
getting the appropriate rock and roll
response with phrases like ‘we’re

Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion! This is

vat Ea rodore Ballroom! How are

   

the overall energy of the more than
competent band. Overall | was quite
impressed (only the dormant and
scattered Dead Bob does a_ better
Louie, Louie).
checking out.

The band is well worth