Symphony doesn't fail to impress

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra never fails to impress me with their virtuosity and range.  Saturday’s Masterworks performance was no exception; however, I was a little overwhelmed by their final piece, and not in a good way. 
The ISO’s fourth installment in their Masterworks series was entitled “Symphonic Seas” and included three pieces–selections from “Victory at Sea,” the medley from “Titanic” and “A Sea Symphony.”  
In the 1950s, Richard Rogers collaborated with Robert Russell Bennett to write the score for a NBC television series “Victory at Sea.”  The music and the symphony’s performance were both flawless.  Every time I thought I knew where the music was going, I was suddenly pleasantly surprised.  “Victory” was light and melodic one moment and in the next it turned dark and sinister.  The orchestra seduced the audience with Rogers’ work until we were all completely lost in a sea of music. 
The symphony conductor, Karen Lynne Deal, was, as always, mindful of the different audiences the symphony serves.  She introduced the more popular portion of her program by quoting Duke Ellington.  “There are only two kinds of music–good music and the other kind,” said Deal. 
And by the second note of the “Titanic” medley, I think the audience was convinced that what we were hearing was great music.  James Horner, whose other credits include “Field of Dreams,” “Apollo 13,” “Braveheart” and “A Beautiful Mind,” composed the score for the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic.”  The music was so incredibly poignant and heart-wrenching, I couldn’t help but turn to my companion for the evening and say “I’ll never let go, Jack.  I’ll never let go!” 
The main piece of the evening was Vaughan Williams’s 61-minute “Sea Symphony.”  Written at the turn of the 20th century, “Sea Symphony” is Williams’s attempt to put several of American poet Walt Whitman’s poems from “Leaves of Grass” to music. 
In each of the symphony’s four movements, the ISO was joined by two soloists and a 90-plus person chorus comprised of the Illinois Symphony Chorus and the I.S.U. Civic Chorale. 
What resulted was auditory overload.  We had the brilliant words of Whitman, the symphony playing their hearts out, two soloists singing for all they’re worth and about 100 singing people at the back of the stage and none of it seemed to be in harmony with anything else.  It was as if everyone was sharing the stage but not the performance. 
In addition, as brilliant and beautiful as Whitman’s poetry is, I did not think it readily lent itself to be set to Williams’s music.
If you have never attended a performance by the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, I have to ask, where have you been?  The symphony never ceases to amaze me.  It is so powerful and surprising, one moment it can tease you and make you laugh and in the next, it makes you cry.  We are so fortunate to live in a place where such a talented and passionate orchestra gives regular and reasonably priced concerts.  Allow the ISO to amaze you with its next performance.  

Spring things

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

   It has been several weeks since I have shared with you all what is going on around town.  I am sure you have all been desolate, unsure of what to do so you have remained at home, eating peanut butter straight out of the jar and watching “Project Runway” marathons on Bravo.  But no longer!  There are a variety of exciting (and not so exciting) events going on in April that I am here to share.  Though, to be totally honest, I’d trade the whole lot in for some consistently nice weather. 
We start the month off with a fashion show right here at UIS.  Tomorrow from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium is the Dress for Success Style Show that will feature students modeling affordable business attire.  For more information, call 206-7395. 
Now for the more daring individuals among us, this Saturday and Sunday is the Illinois Llama Extravaganza at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  The All-Star Llama Drill Team is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.  I know it sounds rather odd, but there will be llamas and what I believe is some kind of obstacle course so how could that not be fun? 
April 13 at 7 p.m., Sangamon Auditorium is hosting Jamie Adkins in “TYPO.”  Now from what I could gather, “TYPO” is a one-man Cirque de Soleil kind of thing that includes juggling acts, a slack wire act and Chaplinesque comedy.  Atkins is joined on stage by comedian and roving musician Anne-Marie Levasseur (who happens to be Canadian so that is a good time right there).  Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.  Should be a good time for the whole family but call 206-6160 for further information. 
The UIS Theatre Program’s spring performance, “Hedda Gabler,” is April 13, 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 8 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m.  “Hedda Gabler” tells the tale of newlyweds George and Hedda upon their return from their honeymoon.  Tickets are $10 for the general public, $6 for UIS faculty and staff and $4 for UIS students with a valid ID.  For tickets, call 206-6160. 
Later in the month, the Sangamon Auditorium will be bringing the Tony Award winning BLAST! to campus.  Winner of the 2001 Tony for “Best Theatrical Special Event,” BLAST! is a marriage of roughly 60 brass, percussion and visual performers to create a unique blend of both theatre and music.  Tickets range from $35 to $45.  To purchase tickets or for further information call 206-6160.
Through April 21, the wickedly funny work of Chris Britt will be on display in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery.  A UIS alum, Britt’s political cartoons are nationally syndicated.  As the State Journal-Register’s editorial cartoonist, Britt has become locally acclaimed for his sharp and funny political commentary.  On April 21, there will be a closing reception featuring the artist at the gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. 

Zombie's newest music to strip to

By Stephanie Orr - Assistant Editor

Now, if you know me you probably know that I am by no means an exotic dance aficionado. What’s more, if you had the chance to browse my musical collection you’d notice that until Monday it only contained two of Rob Zombie’s previously released songs, “Dragula” and “Living Dead Girl,” which were (legally) downloaded on a whim.
   So it was shocking to me that when I was listening to Zombie’s latest album, “Educated Horses,” all I could think about was how much my inner stripper loves him.   But as crazy as it sounds, I think that’s the point.
   However, the album is disappointing in that it only contains 11 tracks and runs a mere 38.4 minutes. What’s more, two of the tracks are instrumentals, both of which run just under two minutes. Considering that his last musical release was five years ago, you’d think this one would be a bit longer.
   My other issue with this album is that it really let down my expectations of Zombie. I am not one of his biggest fans, far from it, but somehow I had managed to build him up in my mind as being heavy, dark and sinister. I mean, look at the films he did while on musical hiatus. “House of 1000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects” were pretty psychotic, yet enjoyable.
   “Educated Horses,” however, isn’t what I would call heavy. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the CD but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
   “Sawdust in the Blood,” the first of the two short musical interludes, kicks off the album with a march-like drum beat and some very mellow, almost mournful, guitar work. The best word to describe this tidbit of sound is pleasant.
   Track number two, “American Witch,” isn’t anything special for me. The music is catchy, especially at the hook, but otherwise it’s just kind of there.
   Next up is “Foxy Foxy,” the first single from the disc. This one is reminiscent of “Living Dead Girl,” but isn’t quite as interesting. Zombie’s vocals are husky, but he doesn’t show off an amazing range or anything really special.
   Track four, “17 Year Locust,” opens with an Eastern inspired guitar solo and then transitions in to a slower-paced melody. This is one of the songs I could see getting heavy rotation at Déjà vu and other gentlemen’s clubs throughout the country.
   “Scorpion Sleeps” actually made me laugh a little. This track opens with drums and what sounds like hand clapping. It reminded me of something you might hear a band play at a high school sporting event. It also gave me the image of someone sitting in a recording studio wearing headphones and clapping with an extremely serious expression on their face, which is just funny.
   “100 Ways” is the second instrumental on the disc, and again it is pleasant but not especially memorable.
   By the time track seven, “Let it All Bleed Out” rolled around I was having some trouble paying attention. This one has a good beat, if you want to head-bang, but there isn’t really anything else interesting about it.
   “Death of it All” brings back the hand clapping and the exotic dancer friendly base melody. This is one of the tracks that I actually like on the disc, and it managed to get my attention back for the next track.
   Taking up the ninth spot on the disc is “Ride,” which is another one I like. The textures of the song flow effortlessly from smooth and soft to rough and hard, which somehow works to keep the attention on the song.
   “The Devil’s Rejects,” the next track on the disc starts out sounding vaguely like country rock and moves toward what I can only describe as a swanky beat. This is another one of my inner stripper’s favorites.
   The final track, “The Lords of Salem,” is a little more like what I was expecting from Zombie, but still not quite. It’s a fairly slow moving song, but Zombie does a decent job of grating out the chorus. Unfortunately the last 34 seconds of the song is a musical interlude that doesn’t match anything. It sounds kind of like something you’d expect to hear in a 1960s beach party film. Maybe not exactly, but way too close for me. Sadly, those 34 seconds of “what the…” are enough to color the effects of the CD.
   My final impressions of the album are that is was just okay. There were a few songs I genuinely liked, but quite a few I could live without, which is sad on such a short CD. And, while the phrase “educated horses” appears in two of the tracks, I still have no idea what is means or why he chose that as the title.
Grade: C+

Symphony doesn't fail to impress

Spring things

Zombie's newest music to strip to