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All comments by Mary Roeder

People Are Talking: UMS presents Montreal Symphony:

The encores for this evening’s performance were as follows:

Daniil Trifonov:

Liszt, Etudes d’execution transcendants d’apres Paganini, S.140 No. 2

Orchestra:

Ravel, Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte

Bizet, L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2: “Farandole”

– Mary, UMS

People Are Talking: UMS presents Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company: Straight White Men:

For those curious about the pre-show playlist, here’s the track listing. Warning: Adult Language.

____________________________________________

1. Azealia Banks – Van Vogue
2. Rye Rye – Dance
3. Njena Redd Foxx – Silly Bitch
4. Tadow – Pussy Wet
5. Rye Rye – Hotter
6. Azealia Banks – Heavy Metal
7. Rye Rye (ft. MIA) – Bang
8. Njena Redd Foxx – Hold My Purse
9. Lady – Yankin

People Are Talking: UMS presents Danish String Quartet:

The encore for this evening’s program was:

Min Jesus lad mit hjerte få / Sænk kun dit hoved, du blomst / Tit er jeg glad

(Carl Nielsen, arranged by Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen)

Mary Roeder, UMS

People Are Talking: UMS presents The Gloaming:

Here is last night’s set list:

Pilgrim – Sheehan’s – Maud Miller – P Joe’s Lullaby e minor – Jenny’s Chickens – Hughie Travers

Oisin’s Dream – The Booley House Jig – Goose – Slides
-with Nic Gareiss

Cucunandy

Allistrum’s March – The Girl Who broke My Heart

Freedom/Saoirse – The Sailor’s Bonnet – Toss – Wrong Key

The Mountain Lark – Bronwyn Lee – The Boy in the Gap – Music in the Glen
-with Nic Gareiss
_____

Swallow – My Darling Asleep – Matt Molloy Jig

Mary, UMS

People Are Talking: UMS presents Quatuor Ebène at Rackham Auditorium:

The second half of this evening’s program by Quatuor Ebène included arrangements of the following:

“Misty” – Erroll Garner

“Nature Boy” – eden ahbez

“Misirlou Twist” – Dick Dale

“Max Mon Amour” – Michel Portal

“All Blues” – Miles Davis

“Come Together” – John Lennon / Paul McCartney

” Libertango” – Astor Piazzolla

Mary, UMS

People Are Talking: UMS presents Los Angeles Guitar Quartet at Michigan Theater:

The encore for last evening’s program was Pachelbel’s Loose Canon, arranged for guitar by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.

Mary, UMS

People Are Talking: UMS presents Tara Erraught at Hill Auditorium:

The encores for the program were:

Danny Boy, Frederic E. Weatherly

Non più mesta from La Cenerentola, Gioachino Rossini

-Mary, UMS

People Are Talking: UMS presents Brooklyn Rider at Rackham Auditorium:

Here’s the set list from last night’s performance:

First Half:

Béla Fleck – Griff’
Béla Fleck – Landing
Béla Fleck – Next
Edgar Meyer/Béla Fleck – quintet
Colin Jacobsen – Brooklesca

Second Half:

Lev Zhurbin – Culia
Solo Béla Fleck
Béla Fleck – Night Flight Over Water

Encore:
Béla Fleck – County Clare

People Are Talking: UMS presents 1927: The Animals and Children Took to the Streets at Performance Network Theatre:

Hi Melissa,

The leopard-print wearing “usherettes” were most certainly in character. Their marching orders were to be exactly as you describe…gruff and rude…characteristic of the folks inhabiting the world of the Bayou. To you and to anyone else who may have had a less than pleasant encounter (being denied gumdrops, for example), please don’t take it personally!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the show otherwise!

Mary, UMS

In response to:
"
Beautiful performance. It reminded me why I like live theater so much. . . I was not sure about whether the ladies handing out gumdrops at the beginning of the performance were supposed to be gruff/rude, but when I approached them (they were blocking the aisle) I thought they were getting ready to take the stage, so I snuck in behind them (not wanting to interrupt something. . .I was there pretty close to curtain time) one turned around and said “EXCUSE YOU. . .” hmmm- in character? Made it hard to settle into the first part of the play.
"
by Melissa

People Are Talking: UMS presents Dianne Reeves Quartet with special guest Raul Midón at Hill Auditorium:

Here’s the set list from the Dianne Reeves Quartet’s concert:

1. Quartet Solo
2. 12th of Never – 4 Livingston/Webster
3. Tango – D. Reeves
4. Stormy Weather – Arlene/Kochler
5. Misty – E. Garner
6. Good Day – D.Reeves
7. Little Drummer Boy – K.Davis
8. The Christmas Song – M.Torme’ (Encore, with Raul Midon as guest)

People Are Talking: UMS presents Dianne Reeves Quartet with special guest Raul Midón at Hill Auditorium:

Here’s Raul’s set list from Saturday night:

Everybody
When you Call My Name
Sunshine
Everyone Deserves a Second Chance
Invisible Chains
State of Mind

People Are Talking: UMS presents Kidd Pivot: The Tempest Replica at Power Center:

Hi Gloria!

Thank you for your thoughts—I am in total agreement with you…the monster was my favorite, especially in his ‘human’ incarnation.

I wanted to take a quick moment to address your wish that the post-show experience on Saturday be held at the venue. While we did hold a really great post-show Q&A with Crystal Pite on Friday night from the stage at the Power Center, for Saturday, we wanted to try out something a little different by going off-site to Sava’s.

What many people might not know is that UMS doesn’t actually own any of the venues in which we present performances. While there are certainly many positives about this (like not having to manage and staff the spaces or finance all of the overhead that comes with running a building), it makes it hard for our audiences (and us!) to hang around after the show to talk…either about the performance or otherwise. I was completely shocked when I left Power on Friday night and saw how many people were loitering outside the door still talking about the show—I really wished I could’ve teleported them all to some alternate location where we could talk about monsters and origami boats all night.

Many venues, festivals, and presenting organizations around the world have social spaces built into them…or at least a readily identifiable hub space people generally know as the spot to go post-show to socialize and grab a drink. Keeping all this in mind, we decided to try our hand at creating this sort of environment elsewhere. We had no idea how many people might show up, how the evening might unfold, if it’d be too noisy, how willing strangers would be to talk to other strangers, etc, but I’m happy to report we had a really fantastic turnout. There were about 50 of us on Saturday night… including some dancers from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet who drove all the way to Ann Arbor to see Kidd Pivot. It was a lot of fun, and, for me personally, it was really great just to meet some new people in town.

I hope you can join us when we try this out again in the winter after Propeller’s performance on February 23. And for those of us who prefer the ease of staying in our seats at the venue for a talk, we’ll be doing opening night Q&A’s after every one of our dance and theater presentations.

Mary, UMS

In response to:
"
LOVED the performance from the word shipwreck. The choreography was exciting, my favorite was the monster. The sound effects and digital screen effects were amazing. Will see again if brought back. Just wish the talk after was at the center.
"
by Gloria Page

APAP + RCLA = LDI:

Thanks for checking in, Bryan – I’m doing my best to represent the Mitten well!

In response to:
"
Congrats Mary! And thanks for such a wonderful description of your experiences and introduction to your new colleagues!
"
by Bryan Jao

People Are Talking: UMS presents Max Raabe and Palast Orchester at Hill Auditorium:

Hi everyone! Here’s the set list from Saturday night:

Wenn ich Sonntags in mein Kino geh´, Music: W.R. Heymann, Lyrics: R.Gilbert

Night and Day, Music & Lyrics: Cole Porter

Veronika der Lenz ist da, Music: W.Jurmann, Lyrics: Fritz Rotter

Eine Nacht in Monte Carlo, Music: W.R.Heymann, Lyrics: R. Gilbert

My prayer, Music: G. Boulanger, Lyrics: James B. Kennedy

Who´s afraid of the big bad wolf, Music: F.&A.Churchill, Lyrics: Churchill, Ronell,Amberg

Schöne Isabella von Kastilien, Music: E.Bootz, Lyrics: G.Karlick

Leben ohne Liebe, Music: M.Spoliansky, Lyrics: R.Gilbert

You´re driving me crazy, Daisy, Music: W.Donaldson, Lyrics: C. Amberg

Küssen kann man nicht alleine, Music & Lyrics : M.Raabe, A.Humpe

Top Hat. Music and Lyrics: I. Berlin

Ich denk an Mädi, Music & Lyrics: Walter Jurmann

Avalon, Music: V. Rose, Lyrics: A. Jolson

Siboney, Music& Lyrics: E. Lecuona

Rosa, reizende Rosa, Music: Hans J. Salter Lyrics: Fritz Rotter

—–

Chinatown, my Chinatown, Music: Jean Schwartz, Lyrics: Jerome William

Marie, Marie, Music: Marc Roland, Lyrics: Johannes Brandt

What a difference a day made, Music: Maria Grever, Lyrics: Stanley Adams

Salome, Music: Robert Stolz, Lyrics: Arthur Rebner

Spin a little web of dreams, Music: I.Cahall, Lyrics: S.Fein

Sie sind mir so sympathisch, Music: N.Dostal, Lyrics: C. Amberg

Irgendwo auf der Welt, Music: W.R. Heymann, Lyrics: R.Gilbert

Wir sind von Kopf bis Fuss, Music & Lyrics: Friedrich Hollaender

Smoke gets in your eyes, Music: Jerome Kern, Lyrics: Otto Harbach

Dein ist mein ganzes Herz, Music & Lyrics: F.Lehar

Over my shoulder, Music and Lyrics: H.Woods

Dort tanzt Lulu, Music & Lyrics: Will Meisel

——————————————

Dream a little dream, Music: Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt, Lyrics: Gus Kahn

You´re the cream in my coffee, Music & Lyrics: Les Brown, B.G. De Sylva, Ray Henderson

People Are Talking: UMS Presents A Night in Treme at Hill Auditorium:

Great perspective, Glenn – thanks for sharing. And an even better suggestion!

Mary, UMS

In response to:
"
Have to first confess that we’ve spent a lot of time in New Orleans over the last 20 years, and our kids are getting old enough to get around town with us and see performances. We were therefore thrilled to see this show and to have New Orleans music without driving the usual 18 hours or getting over an “Age 21+” hurdle. 🙂

I knew that the show would inevitably leave some audience members disappointed. The performers (esp. Rebirth) probably felt as strange as some of the audience did. This was not “jazz” as many think of it, and not what many in the audience were probably expecting. Nor was it pure funk, blues, etc. It reflected the many streams of music that converge in New Orleans, mostly played in bars and clubs that are small, loud, and hardly “performance venues.” But hey, UMS does lots of eclectic stuff. The problem here was that I know that the “wedding and funeral band” or John Malkovich were unique. But many probably came thinking that they knew what this was about. Think Pete Fountain, Preservation Hall, etc. Nope.

So yes, there was a bit of a mismatch on both sides. But that said, you’ve got to break new ground from time-to-time. UMS is bold to break ground elsewhere. It’s time to break ground here as well. Cheers, kudos, and thanks to the UMS leadership!

If I can make a suggestion, you could consider doing a New Orleans event next season that would be more “traditional” and make more folks happy. Consider a New Orleans staple such as Dr. White, Leroy Jones, or Shannon Powell with a trad group or a younger up-and-coming group such as the New Orleans Moonshiners. Consider a legend like Ellis Marsalis. On the other hand, you could cater to the Rebirth fans and break even more ground by partnering with a local venue and bring in Bonerama… just thinking out loud. 🙂
"
by Glenn

People Are Talking: UMS Presents A Night in Treme at Hill Auditorium:

Well, we certainly found ourselves navigating some tricky performance culture terrain last night, didn’t we?

I think oftentimes the decision to present a show in Hill Auditorium (or any other venue, for that matter) can imply a certain type of concert experience, just as a performance by a particular artist or ensemble might suggest its own. And, depending on the expectations with which we walk in, an incongruence can result that deeply influences our experience – for the better, or for the worse. I’ve found myself thinking quite a lot about this issue this season. How do we reconcile the diversity of expectations with which such a broad spectrum of folks come into a any given performance experience?

Let’s take last night, for example. For some, late seating was disruptive – disrespectful, even. But for others, not having free rein to come and go and move as freely as they may be able to in a more traditional nightclub setting is similarly off-putting.

So, what do we do? Not present a group because the ideal venue doesn’t exist? Adapt or maintain “protocol” and risk alienating some subset of our patrons, new or old, who are the core of what we do? It’s a tough call, sometimes. Performance venue, start times, late seating, audience experience, these are all issues we think about, and we always strive to do our best to provide the best experience for the most people. Rest assured we’ll be spending a fair amount of time “post-morteming” this one in our production meeting next Tuesday.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Mary, UMS

People Are Talking: Merce Cunningham Dance Company:

Hi Matthew!

I’m sorry to say it, but your partner is correct. The house lights were accidently programmed into that particular lighting cue by the company. Yikes! It got fixed before Saturday night’s show.

Mary, UMS

In response to:
"
Thanks for hosting a splendid show. I was introduced to Merce (and contemporary dance, really) on the Power Center’s stage in 2002 when I was 18, and I can’t tell you how much it meant to get a chance to see the company perform again in Ann Arbor on the farewell tour. What a beautiful, extraordinary concert.

I also have a question I was hoping someone with UMS could answer. During the first part of “Split Sides,” the house lights came up for a few moments. I was convinced that this was an intentional part of the show, but my partner wondered if it was a technical mistake. I’ve done a bit of web searching and I don’t see any mention of it happening at other performances, so I’m starting to wonder if he’s right. (Either way, we found it compelling!) Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.
"
by Matthew Piper

People Are Talking: Takács Quartet:

Hi Daryl!

Your comment made me laugh! I feel the same way a lot of the time, and I work at UMS! You’d think I’d be particularly eloquent in my show recaps. Nope! I think it’s plenty fine just to say “I loved it” (or something else if I didn’t, haha!).

Thanks for commenting!

Mary, UMS

In response to:
"
After reading the above comment, I am embarrassed simply to say the music and the playing were superb, inspiring, thrilling! I look forward to hearing them play additional Schubert quartets.
"
by Daryl Hafter

People Are Talking: Merce Cunningham Dance Company:

Hi Deb,

I wanted to offer one quick clarification. The fellow you mentioned in your post is actually not Merce Cunningham, (who, as Jim already mentioned, passed away in 2009), but Robert Swinston. Robert has been a dancer with the company for 30 years, an admirable accomplishment for someone working in a career so physically demanding! Robert also serves as the Director of Choreography and we have him to thank for reconstructing some of Merce’s earlier works (such as those you mentioned enjoying in the 70’s) for the company’s last ever tour.

I’ve heard from several people this morning who were offended by your comment about the dancer’s body type, but in an effort to preserve open conversation, I didn’t want to remove your post from the site. The physicality of dancers is obviously an ongoing “hot topic” (check out this article by Victoria Looseleaf in the LA Times about so-called “body fascism” in dance: http://lat.ms/ggytQK).

Mary, UMS

In response to:
"
I thought the performance fell flat. The first piece was revolutionary and groundbreaking when it was choreographed, but doesn’t hold up to the test of time. I don’t see the point in removing the wings and back drop; I don’t want to see back stage. And what was with the rolling of the dice in Split Sides? That was just goofy. And since when is it a good idea to divorce the music from movement? I found that particularly distracting. But the most distracting element of split sides was having the middle-aged choreographer — love handles and all — dancing in his own ballet. How vain can you be? With him at the helm I’m afraid the company is doomed. I loved them in the 70’s, but it’s time for us all to move on.
"
by Deb Springstead

People are Talking: New Century Chamber Orchestra with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg:

What great comments! This ensemble clearly has a ton of fun playing together and that visible joy they take in music-making really seemed to give us, the audience, permission to have our own fun.

The encores for the evening were:

Alfred Schnittke’s “Polka” and

“Bess, You Is My Woman Now” from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

–Mary, UMS

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