Collage

On Saturday Corey and I attended the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance's Collage concert. It was 30 pieces in 2 hours, one right after the other, no pause for applause until the end. It was pretty cool.

The idea is to create a "collage" of music, juxtaposing styles and themes. There was even a scene from a play without any music. My personal favs were:

Samba Batucada (Traditional, percussion ensemble)
Amazing start to the show. A traditional samba full of energy, and even choreographed (kind of). I have much love for percussion pieces that are also visually entertaining.

Piaf Medley (Eric Sammut, solo marimba)
A medley of three songs by the iconic Edith Piaf. (sidebar: I highly recommend seeing La Vie en Rose if you haven't yet.)

Life with Harold from The Full Monty (David Yazbek, actors w/ rhythm section)
The girl playing Vicki was hilarious and SO good. I normally don't enjoy musical theatre written after the 60s, or over-the-top musical theatre actors, but this was an awesome exception.

Tremors from Trois Morceaux Moroses (Pierre Nezahualcoyotl Derycz, solo cello)
Spoiler Alert: I LOVE solo cello, and bonus, this was a student work!

The Great Train Race (Ian Clarke, solo flute)
This piece was amazing. It was really intense in the parts that conveyed the speed of the wheels and axles of the train, and haunting when the flute imitated the train's whistle. The staging intensified the piece even more. The flutist was front and center on stage with just a tight spot on her, the rest of the hall was completely dark. The reflections of the flute itself were whipping through the hall as she played. It was accidental magic.

Confutatis from Requiem (Verdi, Baritone and orchestra)
Great bari, great orchestra, classic piece.

Wonderland Duets (Raymond Luedeke, two tuba and narrator)
Poetry from Through the Looking Glass (Alice in Wonderland) over tuba duets. What's not to like?

Strike Up The Band (Gershwin Bros, jazz ensemble)
This concert was my first time hearing U of M's jazz ensemble. They were really good, but it made me miss hearing Corey play.

O Fortuna from Carmina Burana (Carl Orff, full choir and orchestra)
Yup. I know it's cliched, but I love it. It's kind of an inside joke. To get in on it, click here. (WARNING: You may never be able to listen to this piece with a straight face again.)