WEDNESDAY
ja nua ry
PAGE 9
30, 2013
the daily orange
the sweet stuff in the middle
Students perform Wilson play By Avery Hartmans ASST. COPY EDITOR
ziniu chen | staff photographer DONALD BERMAN AND GABRIELA DIAZ, the pianist and violinist of Dinosaur Annex, respectively, perform in Setnor Music Hall in front of a crowd of community members and students. Dinosaur Annex is a group of chamber musicians who embrace a futuristic sound.
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he cello pulsed in low, haunting waves while the jumpy piano echoed the high woodwinds. The piano, cello, clarinet and flute sounded in a perpetual crescendo before slowly fading away, expressing what composer Daniel Godfrey called “a mix of beauty and melancholy.” “I was happy with the performance,” said Godfrey, Setnor School of Music composer-in-residence. Godfrey worked with Neva Pilgrim, director of the Society for New Music, to bring Dinosaur Annex to Syracuse. The Tuesday evening concert, before an audience of roughly 60 community members and a few Syracuse University students, was Boston-based Dinosaur Annex’s second stop on its current tour. All five pieces that renowned chamber ensemble Dinosaur Annex performed contained a mix of melancholy and beautiful. The group – seven musicians and conductor Jeffrey Means – bills themselves as “creating the future of contemporary music,” and their traditional cellos, pianos, woodwinds and drums produced a fittingly futuristic sound. One piece, Annie Gosfield’s “The Harmony of the Body-Machine,” gleaned its title from a chapter in H.G. Wells’ science textbook, and
Future classic Chamber music performance group Dinosaur Annex brings modern, surreal sound to Setnor Music Hall By Maggie Cregan STAFF WRITER
accompanied the sweeping cello performance of guest artist Rafi PopperKeizer with recordings of metallic scraping, clanking and droning. The eerie, mechanical additions bolstered rather than distracted from Popper-Keizer’s rich cello part, and when the last wistful notes died away, the applause of the audience required him to return for
BEHIND THE MUSIC
a second bow. Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon’s “Jacaras,” inspired by popular Mexican ballads, sounded similarly surreal. The piece began with an ominous violin part accompanied by scattered notes of support from the cello and piano. Pianist Donald Berman would occasionally reach over the keys to pluck the strings themselves.
Founded in 1975, the Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble performs regularly with renowned musical groups in their hometown of Boston, sharing the stage with the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Boston Ballet and Handel & Haydn. Additionally, the group receives praise and recognition for its work with student musicians. Dinosaur Annex holds an annual Young Composers Concert featuring public school-age musicians who present selections by up-and-coming composers, and they are adamant about preserving music education.
The three instruments swelled and faded together in a haunting reverie that fit seamlessly with “The Harmony of the Body-Machine”. Dinosaur Annex then performed “In Thin Air” for the second time in front of an audience. Composed by co-artistic director of Dinosaur Annex Yu-Hui Chang, the piece made its debut Sunday at Harvard University. Chang introduced the song, saying she was inspired by “a sense of unfulfillment.” The rapid chiming of cymbals and piano gradually faded into the deep strains of the violin and thunder-like rumbling of the drums. All three instrumental parts seemed quietly frantic with longing, and the piece ended with the faint, insistent plunking of piano and percussion braced by a dying thread of violin. Chang took the stage to excitedly hug the musicians before they all bowed to the applause of the audience. “All the details came out better,” Chang said, referring to the slight differences from Sunday’s performance at Harvard, and explaining her gratitude for the chance to have one group of musicians repeatedly working together on her piece. After a brief intermission, the musicians of Dinosaur Annex played Godfrey’s “Luna Rugosa,”
SEE SETNOR PAGE 10
It is Pittsburgh, 1969. The nation is rapidly changing and with it, the African-American community. This is the world of August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running,” which opens at Syracuse Stage on Wednesday. “Two Trains Running” delves into the world of Memphis Lee’s diner, a pinnacle of Pittsburgh’s AfricanAmerican community. The restaurant is home to an eclectic assortment of regulars, from a resident philosopher to an ex-convict. When city officials implement sweeping renovations, the diner, as well as the whole block, is a casualty. Lee is encouraged to give up his property for a reduced price. He fights back and resolves to force the city to pay him the full value of his land. What results is a play that tells the story of a community attempting to evolve in a time of turmoil. “Two Trains Running” is just one chapter in Wilson’s 10-part series, “The Pittsburgh Cycle,” which chronicles the African-American experience in the 20th century. Wilson won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work in the series, one for “Fences” and another for “The Piano Lesson.” Following Wilson’s death in 2005, the Virginia Theater in New York City was renamed the August Wilson Theater. It was the first Broadway theater to be named after an African-American. Fans of Wilson’s work and of “Two Trains Running” can view the show’s blog, “Reclaimed Stories.” The website offers the chance to get to know the cast and director, and contains behind-the-scenes videos and photos as opening night approaches at Syracuse Stage. For die-hard Wilson fans, there will be a panel discussion immediately following the Feb. 3 matinee performance titled “August Wilson’s Women: Wives, Mothers & Children of Incarcerated Black Men.” The panel will be moderated by Syracuse University law professor Paula Johnson, and will feature guest panelists Vincent Love, president of 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Helen Hudson of Mothers Against Gun Violence and members of Jail Ministry of Syracuse. There will also be three prologue discussions with members of the cast on Feb. 3, 9 and 14 one hour before curtain. “Two Trains Running” runs from Jan. 30-Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $18 for students to $51 for single tickets. For more information about the show, visit syracusestage.org. avhartma@syr.edu @averyhartmans