Thomas, I completely agree with you that this was a superb performance. I also felt that both soloists “owned the stage” and stole the limelight. The sheer quality of their singing and the length of time for which the soloists performed so beautifully was amazing. I felt that the merged sound produced by both the Orchestra and the Choral Union was the force which truly allowed the soloists to succeed. I felt that we were watching three performances at once: one by the Choral Union, one by the Orchestra, and a separate show put on by the soloists. I felt what made the show truly amazing was the way that, instead of being in conflict with each other, these sounds blended together in harmonious accord. The music director seemed to be the person who was the most responsible for the elegant, beautiful way in which these elements combined, and I felt that a lot of the credit definitely should go to him for his great efforts. I felt that this concert encouraged me to try to be more open to listening to similar types of music in the future; if they did come back, I would probably be one of the first to try to get tickets.

When I went to Brahms Requiem, I was not fully sure as to what to expect as I knew that this night was to be a new experience for me unlike anything I had seen before. I felt that the overall show was very well done, and I especially enjoyed the solo pieces by Nadine and John. It seemed clear to me that both of them had mastery over their vocations and their excellence made this event a treat to watch. While they made it look easy, it was clear that we were witnessing the fruits of tremendous practice. The blending of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra with the voices of the UMS Choral Union created a powerful sound which moved many members of the audience and provided the solid foundation for the soloists. I felt that the music director was amazing, and that it was due to his tremendous efforts that all these distinct elements were able to combine together in melodious harmony. I thought it was a remarkable choice to place this event in the Hill Auditorium; in this location, a penny dropped a foot above the ground on the center stage could be heard clearly in the seats furthest away from the stage. While this fact did make the inevitable coughs and moving of chairs travel loudly to the stage, I felt that this unique location erased the great physical distance and allowed me to feel as if I was seated beside the performers as they played.

Katherine, I too felt the concert was an interesting experience and I also enjoyed the vast difference between the Latin jazz played by Alfredo and the Afro-Cuban drum beats played by Martinez. After you mention it, I too remember that I was a bit bothered by the dissonant sounds and I did not understand why the artists had made the choice to incorporate such noise into their pieces. While Alfredo’s solo was well done, I thought the solo by his cello player was particularly outstanding; I also thought the solo by Martinez was exceptional and fully demonstrated his complete mastery of his craft. Even though I had only listened to a few jazz pieces before, I felt that this concert encouraged me to try to expand the types of music I listened to. Overall, I feel that it was a good decision by UMS to bring such a broad variety of performers to Ann Arbor.

The concert combining Pedrito Martinez and Alfredo Rodriguez was a stimulating blend which showcased various distinct shades of Cuban Music. I felt Alfredo’s unique blend of music from Latin America with jazz was very well done and showed his exceptional artistic ability. I thought Alfredo’s improvisation stole the show and his energy was contagious; Alfredo simply could not sit still and his genuine enthusiasm seemed to sweep the audience off their feet. While he did not steal the limelight, I also felt the cello player’s performance was particularly memorable and contributed substantially to the quality of the concert.

Pedrito’s concert emphasized his adroitness with the drums and his mixing of modern lyrics with Afro-Cuban musical tradition was something that the audience seemed very unaccustomed to, but which I came to appreciate. Pedrito’s extended solo was astounding and showed a very wide range of beats; Martinez’s mastery of his trade was evident in the way that his drumming seemed to pour the foundation for all the pieces that his group played.

I found it particularly interesting when the Pedrito Martinez group invited Rodriguez back onto the stage to play together; the chemistry between the two groups was intriguing and I found it entertaining to watch Rodriguez leave the piano to joke and play alongside Jahir Sala. While I particularly enjoyed Rodguiez’s performance and was extremely unfamiliar with the music played by Martinez, I felt both groups played equally well and showed me two very different aspects of the Cuban musical tradition.

“Compagnie Kafig” was a unique dance show that mixed street performance and theatrical presentation; sprightly Brazilian dancers under the direction of French director Merzouke performed a mélange of hip-hop, circus performance, martial arts and capoeira that brought Brazil and the world to the Power Center.

“Corriera” was a tribute to various forms of running that constitute enormous parts of life; This segment mixed violence and calm, with symbolism for the caporecia movement throughout, such as when men trying to dance were restrained until “harmless” classical music began to play. It contained memorable scenes such as when an energized man wore a shirt and started to run in place, trying imitate the motion of a cartoon figure in a video whose legs moved at a unrealistically fast pace, and showcased the men dancing with wooden legs to conduct more steps than humanly possible.

“Agwa” showcased the importance of water as the world’s most important natural resource and perhaps a symbol for youthful renewal. This show contained exquisite use of lighting to highlight the movement of the men’s bodies; the theatrical technicians were performers in their own sense especially when they highlighted the men dancing with their fingers or pounding their feet in circles. Mixing order and disorder, the dancers balanced fragile towers of water cups only to throw them in disarray juxtaposed with their fellow performer’s controlled, extended head stand. “Agwa” emphasized the beautiful, ceremonial passage of water with the drinking of the transferred water signifying the end of the two pieces.

This show was definitely unique in its presentation of contemporary dance and the performers’ mastery of dance was undeniable. The use of lighting stuck out to me as well, in particular the brightness of the shirts that the men initially wore in contrast to the midnight blackness of the surrounding state. The shadows of the man running in place were definitely an elegant touch and I feel that the “bicycle” movements made by the men on the ground did seem to make the audience feel that the dancer was moving at an astoundingly fast rate. I felt that the man must have been running from the police, in a way somewhat symbolic of the caporecia movement in Brazil, and I felt that the only reason the restrained men was left free to dance towards the end was because “harmless” music started to play; this music was reminiscent of the idea that caporecia dancers switched to a “harmless samba” to deceive the watching authorities of the reality of their performance. Overall, I agree completely with your observations and I feel that I too would love to see a similar performance if it occurred in Ann Arbor again.

Dougherty’s piece, “Sing Sing J. Edgar Hoover”, was rooted in the expressive plane, a perfect mélange of the spoken word,showcasing sound bites previously unheard by the public, with symbolic musical accompaniment; it seemed the string players and Edgar’s voice were both in harmony and discord, serving initially to highlight the meanings of Hoover’s words while progressing to juxtaposition the idealized meaning of America, shown through the Star Spangled Banner, with Hoover’s duplicitous actions tainted by secrecy, blackmail, and bigoted hatred.

As the quartet played the colors displayed evolved from a dark red color during the violent, frenzied drumming of “Hold me neighbor in this storm” to a calm blue during the peaceful tranquility of other compositions such as the Swedish folk song. The “electrified” violins and cello, in the view of the quartet, seemed to bring the audience “closer” to the stage and were able to be combine, not compete, with the vocal sections by Little and Dougherty.

Little’s mixture of Assange’s discourses with grim news stories painted a highly critical portrait of the CIA’s operations around the world. Contrastingly, “Cupertino” highlighted the rare ability of this exceptional quartet to entertain in the comedic sense; unusually, Kronos also had to improvise during the performance to maintain pace with the emotion and content of the conversation. While string music seems to espouse a conservative character, the featured pieces in this performance fundamentally changed this perception, proving groups like Kronos existed that strove to nurture “Rite[s] of Spring” of our time.