Last week went to 2 concerts @Krannert. The first one is Joshua Bell on AprilFool's day, who in my mind is more like a pop star- he has a pleasant face, driving a Porche, grabbing Grammy by some thing like " romance of violin", actually, that maybe a good thing if you saw the sold-out theator and the long line waiting for the signature- if this is how the classic music gets more audience, I think it is really good way to do it. Who said classic are just wussy and only attractive to old women who could not walk anymore?! By the way, Joshua's Serenade Melancolique are really touching- he is indeed a very soft boy, and the only word he said during the performance is just before this sad piece- to the memory of one of the UI music professor, a personal friend of his from young, who died in his 37 during a perfomance in Spain.
Another one is Kronos Quartet, their technique maybe not the best, but the 10-movement Sun Rings are really insteresting works- one movement even named as " the Earth Jupiter Kiss"! The last movement is really cheesy... This is a perfomance using a lot of technologies, visual effects using projectors, electric instruments...the stage designor is the guy working with U2 in the last 20 years, who has done a really wonderfull job! By the way, I am very proud of our UI chamber choirs! (mosquito gg in it too), the quartet said it is the best they have worked with. Another funny thing, they commented on the choice of instruments" never use anything you can not kick!" =)
This week I am going to watch Mark Morris- they are even doing a piece with Bartok 4...I just can not wait anymore to see it!
