2013 Arts in the City

Der Rosenkavalier

Watching the opera was a very entertaining experience. The voices were harmonious, the orchestra produced beautiful music, and the singers added personality to their characters. This personality was nicely portrayed through their movements.

The lovers conveyed their feelings for each other in the first scene through body language. When the baron visits, his pompous air is portrayed by the way he walks and talks. Overall, the choreography brought the character of the actors to the surface. For those of us who could not see facial expressions, choreography was sufficient enough to convey the emotions and feelings of the characters.

Costumes in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

In contrast to the adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” that we saw, which defied traditional roles of Elizabethan dress, in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” the dress was mainly traditional, renaissance-like dress. The fairies also kept to their traditional roles through dress. Bottom and his friends (“the workers”), however, were dressed as modern-day workers. They were wearing plaid, army, construction outfits, tool belts, baseball hats, scarves, gloves, and were carrying toolboxes.

“Say it Loud” by Satch Hoyt and “Four Directions of an Artist” by Charles Hossein Zenderoudi

“Say it Loud” by Satch Hoyt is a depiction of the endurance of blacks in regards to all the challenges they were faced with (slavery and segregation, to name a few). However, it seemed ironic that the words “I’m black” were removed from the song, since the piece was celebrating the black struggle and the blacks’ perseverance.

“Four Directions of an Artist,” by Charles Hossein Zenderoudi, portrayed calligraphy, or beautiful writing, being broken down into an alphabet soup, and being muddled into incoherence. This piece struck me as challenging and protesting the artist’s rich Iranian tradition of calligraphy by stripping away its meaning.

Costumes in “Fall for Dance”

I focused on the dancers’ costumes during the festival. In the tap dance the dancers were wearing plain clothing- the attention was directed to their feet, and all the dancers were wearing the same white tap shoes. In the Motown dance, the suits, sweater-vests, and classy dresses added to the character and soul of Motown. In the ballet piece, the costumes were mainly sheer tops and leggings, so the viewers could focus on the bodies and the way they moved together harmoniously. In the “Rite of Spring” piece, the men were wearing only underwear, while the women were wearing sheer tops and flowy skirts. There was also one man wearing a cloak. These costumes portrayed drama and flamboyance, giving off a startling sense of urgency and power.

Music in “Romeo and Juliet”

Music was used in the play either to shift scenes or to promote a certain feeling that went along with the scene. Music introduced the characters at the start of the play, and the drums and guitar gave off an ominous feeling, portraying through the music that this play is a tragedy. There was also techno music, consisting of many beats, during the scene of the masquerade party. This music provided the feeling of a fun and carefree atmosphere, and the love between Romeo and Juliet ensued soon after this scene. When shifting to the moment when Romeo and Juliet were to be wed, the music contained the sounds of bells ringing, to convey a holy, marriage-related feeling. The music grows ominous at the deaths of characters such as Mercutio, Juliet, and Romeo, giving off a dramatic and tragic vibe.

The Altamont Stones Concert and Murder

The Altamont Stones Concert was a free concert hosted on Altamont Speedway, California, on December 6^th, 1969. Several bands were scheduled to perform, such as Ike and Tina Turner, The Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, with The Rolling Stones closing up the show. In response to complaints that their tickets prices were too high, The Rolling Stones were motivated to throw a free concert for their fans at the end of their tour. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Gang were hired as “security” for the event, and were paid in $500 worth of beer to keep fans away from the low-platform stage. As the day went on, however, the huge crowd of fans and the Hells Angels became rowdy and intoxicated, and many people at the concert were high on drugs. The lead singer from Jefferson Airplane was punched at during his set list, and after hearing this news, the Grateful Dead backed out from playing the show. When the Rolling Stones finally took the stage at the end of the day, the lead singer, Mick Jagger, had to keep reprimanding the crowd to calm down. During the song “Under My Thumb,” an 18 year old fan named Meredith Hunter tried to make it onto the stage along with many other fans. A member of Hells Angels punched Meredith and pushed him back into the crowd. Meredith grew so angry that he pulled out a revolver. Alan Passaro, a member of the Hells Angels, knocked Meredith’s gun out of his hands and stabbed him twice, killing him. This was all caught on video footage of the concert, and The Rolling Stones, not noticing what had happened, continued with their set list. Passaro was put on trial for murder in 1971 but was acquitted under self-defense.

The Altamont Stones Concert had major significance as an icon during the late 60s and early 70s. “It symbolized the death of the hippie ideal that people could come together through peace and love through music (http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-altamont/).” There are many songs and articles written about this event, as it was “such a complex metaphor for the way an era ended (Robert Christgau, http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-altamont/).” In comparison to Woodstock, an event that took place only a few months earlier and was filled with love and unity, the Altamont Stones Concert was the death of that stage of harmony through music.

Art is Miniature

The first image depicts a miniature piece of art. Regardless of its size, this work of art is intricately detailed, with many colors and shapes combined together. The second image draws a contrast, since it depicts a massive building under construction. Although the building is not yet completed, it is still a work of art. Art comes in many shapes and sizes, and can be finished, or unfinished. Each piece of art is complex in its own way.