Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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I ?< ? / / David Pearson, right, as Meridiar James rendered two of the outst production last week of 'Blues for Baldwin. Sinfoni for few By Ed Turner It is not often one sees a truly moving concert, be it any style. The New England Sinfonia's March 4 concert in Carolina Coliseum was one such experience. The Sinfonia is composed of 25 musicians conducted by a concert pianist. Jon Robertson. Many standard orchestral instruments were used: violins, violas, cellos, a bass, flute, english horn, trumpet, french horns, trombone and a bassoon. The interaction between the musicians and their instruments created a spell in the nr?l?Qf*iim that u/?q oninvorl hv that 250 persons. It is a shame only those few persons will be able to remember the show and enjoy the memory. The program was well constructed and expertly performed, much to the audience's delight. At 8:15 p.m. Sinfonia members filed quietly onto the stage, assumed their positions and made a few last minuie tuning cmjuMincnis, Robertson then appeared on the stage, to a polite round of applause. He announced a change in the program. Instead of the planned "Dances from a New England Album" by Bergsma, the Sinfonia would play Bach's 'Third Brandenberg " Tliic tiino Ihn nrmlmicn V'\/Iiw? IU. 1 lliu VIIIIV tuv V*?JV was a bit more spirited. The concerto was executed flawlessly by Robertson and the Sinfonia's string section. In fact, the performance was as good or better than any recording 1 have ever heard of that piece. The concert became more intimate and the audience was appreciative. The second piece showed the gag %?**% i Henry and Al Ervin as Parnell anding performances in USC's Mr. Charlie,' a play by James a truly i who ati Sinfonia's diversity. After the Sinfonia's road crew -- attired in white ties and tails -- removed R obertson's h a r p s i c h o r d, Robertson returned to conduct Aaron Copland's "Quiet City." This was the only selection featuring solos by members of the Sinfonia, specifically featuring Lynda Jacquin on english horn and John Schnell on trumpet. "Quiet City" is a haunting piece J U. . iU? ~ 1 - Hi.. r i-iiiuiiici'm uy uic* finfiftii quality 01 the solo /work. The audience thundered its appreciation, as much as as a miniscule crowd can thunder applause. The last piece before intermission was Merriman's "1776," and apparently the Sinfonia's only admission of the Bicentennial. A suite of familiar American tunes interlaced with nrioinal cnmnncitinn '' 177A'1 mac chilling at times and inspiring at other times. 441776" marked the addition of the woodwinds and the horns on stage and showed the Sinfonia's well-rounded talents. This time the audience was inspired and called Robertson back from the wings for a second bow. After intermission, the Sinfonia returned to the stage and proceded to tune again while the sparse audience filtered back into the arena. Robertson returned and was greeted warmiy oy tne audience and then launched into conducting Honegger's "Pastorale d'Ette." The members of the binfonia followed his able << i / I r* k\ /I / k rt kt / I r\ r. ?? T < > tt < ) ^uiuaiiLc ciuu (JCTI tui lut'U flawlessly. This was probably the most moving part of the performance. A light, airy piece that became vaguely haunting at timesv 4T&1 P H/I" Diues ioriur. l-rtl JBLJL^_y CAIOV 1.VFJ By Duncan Mansfield 1 hope for two things when I see or read a dramatic worn, which taken at a glance, might appear to be the same. The first is a fresh view of the human conditio!!, which either alters or reinforces my beliefs. The second is a nortraval of irfpas nr artinn?j that i recognize in myself. I found both of these in James Baldwin's Blues for Mr. Charlie, superbly handled by the USC theatre department in their production last week. rr?u? :~ ~ i A ? * ' iuc yiciy is auuui racism, wnicn is a staple subject for Baldwin. The playwrite attributes racism to ignorance of the educated and the uneducated. He does not take the easy approach to the problem by giving us a simple and satisfactory answer. That, he 1-.fl 1- 11 1 * aciya hi essence, is leu to me inaiviauai. The characters in Blues for Mr. Charlie are afraid of facing the problem, whether they are black or white. Some want change and others do not, but the reasons for both are understandable and even empathic. By the end of the play there is hope that through the pdlirafion nf mifforino anrl flomnn. stration, the repression of every man will no longer exist. The USC production was tightly directed by Michael Robertson and had some of the most imaginative lighting and set arrangements that I can remember seeing at USC or elsewhere for that uiaiici . Gilbert Neville Hines gave a striking portrayal of a young black man who,after living in the North,\vhich Baldwin contends to be more liberal than the South, comes home to a small Southern town and shocks the m Avim *?* "" 'aufb lAiiHerl "Pastorale d'Ette"was a montage of images conveyed by the Sinfonia's performance. The audience was pleased and showed ; * II. The showcase piece that the Sinfonia played was Schubert's 5th Symphony in B flat, for this, y Robertson took his conductor's notes, closed them and turned his r ^ music stand around to face the k \ Sinfonia. Then he proceeded to conduct the symphony by memory. P|i It was a captivating performance, Bifja produced and arranged by ||/ m Kooerison in a supero manner. After the completion of the final movement, the audience's response was such that Robertson took three bows before he left the stage. After that it was difficult BfS for a small crowd to generate enough energy to produce a fourth J| The New England Sinfonia was an experience I shall not soon forget. Yet, I wonder why the attendance was so small. Cer- (Hi tainly other events were taking place at the same time, yet with III the coliseum's marquee stating the event was free it is curious that not more than 250 persons attended. It is indeed a shame that more -|- _people did not see the show. 1^1 jf* 31,000 attend . ITC_ chos I I ^1 . imi m mauitu m-/ p^y v>i v/ M man t?C7 O (JSC has 30,833 students at- Jesse Jack ? ? -i ? * - ? luiiuniK c?i ic-ftsi uiic* uiass on ns Kobinson were nine campuses this spring. Miss Black USC On the main campus in Columbia Their selectic 20,506 students are enrolled. In- Week activities eluded in this figure are 13,679 eluded a semin undergraduate students. Have A Hole in Charlie' r actors black and v'hite townsDeoDle with his determination to be free. F. Lee McConnell is memorable as a convincinglySouthern redneck, who is racist not so much because he wants to be. but because his culture has him that way. His ownpeaceof mind and the community demand it. A1 Ervin, who plays a white, Southern journalist, born rich and raised in the community, does a fine job portraying a man forced to defend his convictions. He is confused about where he should Dlace his allegiance-with his liberal ideas, his long-time white friends or the blacks, who he is desperately trying to understand. David Pearson as Hines' father, a black minister; u: ' 1 ? ^ " ivnuuua it aoiiuigiuil dS IllllfS JUVCI' i clllU ^.yilllllH Taylor as McConnell's wife, were all excellent in the play-particularly in a courtroom sequence where they had to give a moment of powerful and revealing flashbacks before snapping into the present for their testimony on the witness stand. Two audience reactions to actions in the play were particularly interesting to me. The first was a gasp of shock from some older patrons when the young black girl (Washington) kissed Ervin. The second was a cheer from some black students when Mines laid-out MpPonnpll with n hlnw ftlm cimin ...w TIIVII ?.? f? IV IIIV 51 V/lll. Both of these reactions indicate we have a long way to go before we will begin to know each other and know how we can achieve true racial equality. Blues for Mr. Charlie was an excellent selection for USC Biack Week. I hope the persons who saw Mr. Charlie won't just remember the production as being very well done, but as a medium for conveying a message which we should never forget. Photo by Sam Brown H Tfel '? ir -r Miss iSlack IMi en Wednesday son and Sheila guest speakers, a talent show and a chosen Mr. and presentation by USC's theatre ! Wednesday night, department of James Baldwin's* >n climaxed Black "Blues for Mr. Charlie." at um which m- Black \\eek activities were ar on uo niacKs organized by use s Association of the Bicentennial.'' Afro-American Students.