Hi Rainey, the encore was the second movement of Schubertt’s final sonata, which will be performed on Saturday night at Hill: the Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 760, Andante sostenuto.

The encore for Thursday night’s concert was the second movement of Schubert’s last sonata, which will be performed at Hill on Saturday night: the Sonata in B-flat Major, D. 760, Andante sostenuto.

The encores on Sunday were Lyadov’s The Music Box (performed by Denis Matsuev) and the Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner (performed by the Mariinsky Orchestra).

The final two pieces performed were:
Rachmaninov Vocalise
Wieniawski Polonaise Brilliante

Ah, YOU were the one who told me about seeing Lamentation a number of years ago (no doubt right before you performed my gum surgery last summer!). I couldn’t remember who had spoken so glowingly about it, but it was just stunning. I will confess that I left at intermission so that that would be the lingering vision of the evening, and it’s haunted me all day. Thanks for mentioning it.

Hi andralisa,
Sara Billmann from UMS here. I just wanted to be clear about the choreographers of the three Lamentation Variations, because the variations listed on our website were different than the ones the company performed, and nobody caught the discrepancy between the two until we got your message. Interestingly, the Martha Graham Company has commissioned a whole series of variations, and we only saw a few of them. The program book had the correct listing.

Last night’s variations were by (in order) Larry Keigwin, Richard Move, and Bulareyaung Pagarlava (who did the variation that I think you thought was Lubovitch). Pagarlava is from Taiwan and used to dance with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. There’s an interesting “10 Questions” piece with him here: http://www.4dancers.org/2012/04/10-questions-with-bulareyaung-pagarlava/.

While this article is about a particular project of violinist Hilary Hahn’s, it contains some interesting background about encores and artists’ viewpoints of them. Happy Reading! http://www.latimes.com/la-ca-encores-20111030,0,4266188.story

The encores sung this evening were:
Porpora’s “Alto giove” from “Polifemo”
Handel’s “Venti turbini” from “Rinaldo”
Handel’s “Ombra mai fu” from “Xerxes”

Yuja herself arranged the Sorceror’s Apprentice. All other encores have been posted as a comment to this post — a diverse mix of Prokofiev, Dukas, Schubert, and Gluck.

I just posted the entire list as a comment. Thanks for coming!

Hi Everyone,
The encores were (in order):
Prokofiev: Toccata
Dukas: “The Sorceror’s Apprentice” arranged by Yuja Wang
Schubert: Gretchen am Spinnrade, arranged by Liszt
Gluck: Melody, arranged by Rachmaninoff

We at UMS want to apologize again for the major seating snafu at this afternoon’s concert. A renovation this summer (which provided significantly improved wheelchair seating) resulted ina renumbering of the seating sections. We are sorry that we were not better prepared for the impact of this change and want to assure you that we’ll have it worked out before our next performance in Rackham.

First encore was “Salut d’amour” by Elgar. Second was the Russian dance from the Nutcracker.

Many people have asked about the efforts to raise funds for earthquake and tsunami relief. UMS designated 50% of all ticket purchases over the past eight days to the American Red Cross Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. UMS will be donating $9,486 on behalf of last night’s audience to this fund. Thanks to everyone for their support.

We’re really curious to know what others thought of the production last night. Personally, I find McDonagh’s work to be brilliantly constructed, and I always leave one of his productions feeling like I’ve been on a huge roller-coaster ride that has whipped me from one emotional extreme to another (and while I hate roller-coasters, I love that experience in the theater). How can we be laughing at such cruelty? And yet the show, while incredibly sad, is also very funny. So tell us what you thought — the good, the bad, and the ugly. What are you thinking about “the morning after”?

I spent the first half in section 10 in the mezzanine and had the exact same impression — sounded like the sound was “covered” for lack of a better term. I moved to the balcony for the second half, which was a huge improvement. I’ve always loved the balcony seats the best, but thought I would move around a bit to see if a recital performer (as opposed to orchestra) made a difference. I’ll be back in the balcony the next time.

I was backstage inquiring about encores before the performance, and the lack of encores had nothing to do with either snow or audience response. Orchestra officials told me that they don’t perform an encore after the Bartok.

I’m sorry that you feel that UMS was inconsiderate in not canceling the concert last night. While some people called to turn in their tickets, nearly 2400 showed up for the concert. UMS never cancels concerts because of weather. If the artists are able to get to Ann Arbor, we are contractually required to go ahead with the performance. We offer exchanges and the opportunity to donate tickets for a tax-deductible contribution right up until the time of the performance. Tonight’s performance by Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center concert was canceled because the artists were unable to get to Ann Arbor from Toronto.

I was at the U-M Sports Coliseum a week or so ago, watching a men's gymnastics practice with my daughter. It brought back all sorts of crazy memories of that Boris Godunov from 2003 — what an incredible work of theater, both onstage and off! And the intimacy afforded by getting to see 12th Night in the Union Ballroom was an experience I don't think many will ever forget. Thanks for the list — I remember most of these concerts as providing extraordinary experiences, in part because the space shook up the expectations of what we were about to see/hear.

Thanks for your comment. I checked in with the Takacs Quartet's manager, and she responded:
"I'll ask the Quartet about that although I don't think they have any immediate plans to post a sample of the Kellogg work on their website." If we hear back, we'll be sure to post something in this space.

Thanks for your message, David. We're still exploring whether we will be able to show the fifth one in the series (London Assurance), but it doesn't look promising. There's a very limited window of dates in July for the delayed transmissions, and with Summer Festival and Art Fair (not to mention the 4th of July holiday weekend), we're not sure we'll be able to make it happen. If it does, we'll be sure to post it on the UMS Lobby, so stay tuned.
Sara Billmann, UMS

Thanks for your comment, Bernie. Unfortunately, the National Theatre isn't offering "encore" performances that way the Met Opera does — at least not yet! We'll certainly let you know if that changes — we're all disappointed that we missed last season's "Phedre" with Helen Mirren!
Sara Billmann, UMS

Gloria, apologies for the delay in responding to you. We'd love to bring back The Harlem Nutcracker. Unfortunately, the production hasn't toured since we last presented it in December 1999 (hard to believe it's been that long!). It was a great show, wasn't it?

What a memory you just brought back! Barbara Nissman was, I'm quite sure, the very first live professional concert I ever attended, and Liz's dates show that I"m probably thinking of the right person. My kindergarten teacher took my older sister and me to her concert in Sheboygan, WI when I was probably 6 years old in the mid 1970s. I remember it so well — being invited by one's kindergarten teacher was such a big deal!

Hello Wanabethere! I'm writing from UMS. This is just the season announcement. We'll be mailing out brochures with ordering information and prices in early May. If you are not already on our mailing list and want to get information, please email me directly at sarabill-at-umich-dot-edu with your information, and I'll make sure you're added to the list.

Hello, anonymous. I wanted to respond to your concern about African music. By no means has UMS reduced its commitment to African music. As you may or may not be aware, UMS has a four-year cycle for programming global music that focuses on four regions of the world that are also significant in metro Detroit: the Arab World, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. During each season, we focus the vast majority of our 'world music' programming on the region being featured, but also try to have some representation from the other regions. The 09/10 season was the focus on Africa, which was why there was more African programming this past year.

Sometimes touring cycles also don't align with our planning cycles, especially in the world music area. Often times, world music groups begin to plan tours on a much shorter time horizon than our season planning. Don't be surprised if we add another event or two to our season during the summer!

Such a great debate! For those who found the laughter distracting, you might be interested in reading this interview with Maly's dramaturg (and Lev Dodin's niece) Dina Dodina, who talks about the humor in Uncle Vanya. It was in the "Encore Michigan" newsletter, a web-based publication that focuses on theater in Michigan.
http://www.encoremichigan.com/article.html?articl…

Thanks for your comment, jessamyn. The Theater Series will include all five productions, but you'll be able to pick and choose individual events through the Monogram Series if you're not interested in all of the theater offerings. You'll receive a special renewal packet in early May that will outline all of the options for you.

Hello, Sara Billmann from UMS here. DJK, I didn't read JWR's comment as snobbish or critical at all — rather, just a comment about what the design and atmosphere evoked for him/her. Artists are constantly inspired, consciously or unconsciously, by things that they see or experience. I don't think JWR was suggesting that the designer "copied" the painting to produce the set.

Here's a link to the painting that JWR referred to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Millet_Gleaners…

What do others think of the comparison?

Sara Billmann from UMS here. We didn't do any special outreach to schools. I suspect that the children who attended may have purchased tickets through our "Classical Kids Club" program — we offer a limited number of tickets for children and their parents at specially discounted rates for all concerts on the Choral Union Series. I'm sorry that your experience wasn't pleasant. I was sitting up in the balcony for that concert and was astonished by how incredibly well-behaved the children near me were (and as the parent of an 8-year-old and an almost 6-year-old, I know what a feat that is!). It's a real conundrum, frankly — on the one hand, people bemoan the fact that kids aren't learning about classical music, but then when they are in the venue and behave like, well, kids, people are also frustrated. And yet I'd be willing to bet that that performance will have a profound impact on some of the kids who were in attendance. I really applaud the parents who introduce their kids from a young age to this spectacular music but also recognize that every parent has an obligation to be sure that his/her children are behaving. I'd love to hear what other people think.

I've been looking forward to this performance all year. When I was in high school, my college-bound sister made a cassette tape (!) of Schubert's music for me, because she thought it was so incredibly beautiful. I must have listened to that tape at least 200 times. The one problem, however, was that the last two minutes of one of his string quintets was cut off because there wasn't room on the tape, so I always missed the ending. It was such a surprise in a UMS concert a couple of years ago to hear the work in its ENTIRETY! That cassette tape started my life-long love of Schubert's music.

No need to worry, Kenny. Ms. Hewitt arrived in Ann Arbor on Tuesday before the storm hit, so no danger of the concert being canceled.

I just read this incredibly personal review of the performance by a U-M student, as posted on the Arts at Michigan website. Wow.
http://www3.arts.umich.edu/seen/2010/01/25/review…