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Classical music can be accessible to masses I A few choice albums can open classical sounds to the average Joe BY KIT CURTIN THE (IAMECOCK Would you like to start listen ing to classical music? Perhaps you are taking a music appreci ation class, dating a music stu dent or just wondering why this seemingly archaic musical genre has lasted so long. Sometimes classical music can De more difficult to en joy than other forms of music because it ex presses ^he sensibilities of another age - or, perhaps, because it ex presses too well the disso nances of our own. One reason so few young peo ple listen to classical music is that learning to appreciate it takes time. Modern ears aren’t used to the sounds of the orchestra, the string quartet or the sonata. It is almost impossible to fully en joy a piece of classical music upon first listen. You must re turn to it many times before the work begins to take shape inside you. Once this happens, however, it becomes a part of you, as inti mate as your own inner mono logue. It is something that you can return to over and over again throughout your life. Samuel Barber, an American composer, has written music that is at times both modern and beautiful. His “Adagio for Strings” remains a standout classical work. This piece is a musical journey that begins with almost inaudible chords that grow into one of the most intense climaxes in classical music. When performed, the piece leads its audience on a journey, wnicn can De interpreted differently de pending on the listener. This piece has been recorded countless times, and should be very easy to find at the li brary or store. Another essential classical recording is German pianist Emil Gilels’ collection of Edward Grieg’s short pieces for piano called “Lyric Pieces.” These short pieces are inspired by Swedish and Norwegian folk melodies and have titles such as “Solitary Traveler,” “Home ward,” “Gone” and “Remem brances.” Each piece creates its own atmosphere, every one uniquely vivid and palpable. Some are joyous, some peace ful, others sorrowful. All have a haunting quality of remem brance and longing. Regardless of how many times one listens to it, this recording never loses its intrigue. Despite the richness of these recordings, nothing compares to attending a live concert. As USC students, we have unique oppor tunities to listen to live classical music. The School of Music Web site, www.music.sc.edu, offers a list of all scheduled performances for this semester. There are several concerts each week, and many of them are free. On Sept. 23, the USC symphony is playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with USC piano professor Marina Lomazov, as well as Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. Lomazov’s recent perfor mances have been enthusiasti cally reviewed, and this con cert might be one of the most exciting performances of the year. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Roger Center for the Arts. Learning to love classical mu sic takes time, persistence and a desire to find beauty. If you take the time to listen, what you hear can inspire your imagination and awaken your sense of wonder. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail. com Spanning generations, classical music bridges the old with the new, combining technical expertise with raw emotion within its crescendos and epic finishes. VISIT THE GAMECOCK ON THE WEB AT ; i ■ www.dailygamecock.com /• • • ^ ‘ * ' ' ' ' • * > ' '■ ' "On behalf of the USC Visitor Center we would like to welcome back the elite organization of the University Ambassadors". Lindsey Adair Sean Bishop Whitney Bridges Alicia Buddin Ryan Cannon Brooke Davidson Katie Dreiling Kimi Goodwin Sarah Holloway Ryan Holtz Jacob Hunter Courtney Ingalls Meredith Kahl Emily Koziol Patrice Ladson -if you are interested University Ambz come to one of our inf< Sept. 10 & Sep at the USC \ Frances McCartha Amanda Marshall Erin Nelson Katie Page Ameenah Pridgen Emily Purnell Katherine Rochelle Jasmine Smith Anna Stewart Elizabeth Sutton Travis Thompson Takieya Williams Jeremy Wolfe Carla Wynn Karen Zatkulak in becoming a issador please trmation sessions on it 16 @ 6pm Visitor Center. MOVIE REVIEW ‘Camp ’ captures adolescence “CAMP” Directed by Todd Graff ★★★★★ out of BY MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK For the kids at Camp Ovation, summer.camp is more than just a way of wasting lazy days - it’s an escape. The characters in “Camp” have never been and never will be prom kings and queens. They are seif-described “freaks,” albeit tal ented ones, who embrace Camp Ovation as a place where being a “misfit” is the norm. “Camp” opens with the sound of instruments being tuned; it quickly erupts into a gospel-fla vored musical number that es tablishes the featured kids as soon-to-be stars. Initially, such an introduction seems unfittingly sensational; movies do not usual ly begin with musical numbers unless they are, well, musicals. Yet the musical number is dotted with real-life snippets from the characters’ lives — slivers of ex perience that define a different side of their lives. These snap shots reveal the persecution and insecurities that plague Camp Ovation’s finest in their day-to day lives; the performance footage exemplifies the escape and acceptance that summer camp affords them. Early on, by way of on-screen titles, the audience is introduced to the film’s self-proclaimed cen tral characters — Vlad, Michael and Ellen. Vlad stands at the mir ror, looking debonair in a tuxedo; Ellen is preparing for her junior prom, which she is attending with her older brother; Michael, who cross-dresses, is attempting to en ter his prom, only to be turned away and attacked by a group of his peers. Although brief, these scenes in troduce us to three individuals having three different but related high school experiences. By the end of the film, the characters’ di vergent backgrounds inevitably still stratify them, yet they recog nize one another as equals. “Camp” does not concentrate on defining differences, but on find ing common ground. The characters all struggle with typical issues from weight to family relationships to sexuality. Although peppered with song and dance scenes, the film centers on those struggles and their subse quent repercussions. The kids are not only at camp to perform to their hearts’ content, but to learn a little about themselves and each other along the way. In the midst of capturing the adolescent struggle, “Camp” iiiius a wdy iu deliver witty one-liners and comic mo ments, as well as a number of show-stopping dance scenes, that keep the film light-hearted despite its sometimes weighty issues. From the “If he’s gay, I’m Tyne Daly” characterization of Vlad to the antics of a vengeful ex-lackey, the film plays off the characters’ cir cumstances as well as it portrays them. The film’s dazzling stage scenes also add flair, completely captur ing the otherwise outcast youths within their element. The Camp Ovation kids can sing. And dance. And act. The campers perform numbers from various produc tions, masquerading as every thing from Follies to Shakespearean tragedians. They have flawless voices and amazing poise despite the fact they are all in the thick of their troubled teenage years. Adults play important parts on screen as well. The aspiring actors idolize the stories of Stephen Sondheim, who appears as him self in the film, sponsoring Ovation’s end-of-the-summer ben efit show. Vlad’s hero, Bert Hanley, is an instructor at the camp — as well as a washed-up al coholic songwriter. He arrives at the camp two days late after “drinking for 72 hours straight.” Although Bert is still spiking his Shasta colas by the film’s end, his enthusiasm for the stage is reju venated by the kids’ inspired re view of his works. Overall, the movie aptly infus es the comic with the serious never veering into the realm of “typical teen comedy,” yet steer ing clear of overwrought drama tization. “Camp” doesn’t resort to violin-backed breakdowns or “touching” scenes that overextend their reach to engage audiences. Instead of starring Jennifer Love Hewitt as an outcast, mis understood youth, the film em ploys unknown, relatively every day faces in original but recog nizable roles. The characters are naturally sympathetic — they are not super human, Broadway bound machines but genuine .ttJiit;! iuu i ieeii£> who only hap pen to have ex traordinary tal ents. Ultimatei- m “Camp” d< ^ not solve any mysteries of the teen experience or even com pletely explain the main charac ters’ motivations. Yet it depicts adolescence — especially among the outcast — in a truthful light as a period of learning, yearning and self-doubt. The characters never completely comprehend why they do what they do; the au dience is left similarly in the dark. “Camp” refreshingly allows the teen years to remain an enigma, instead of offering ideal solutions and a Cinderella ending. Things may not always proceed as planned, issues may not always be flawlessly resolved, but “Camp” is a place that at least some inner part of us all has been ^ The movie is a worthy waltz back™ through those adolescent years where, even amid the toughest of times, summer was always on the horizon to lure us forward. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com The characters in ‘Camp’ are not only talented, but believable, average American teens. BRIEFLY Simon and Garfunkel plan concert tour NEW YORK (AP) - Unless they get in yet another squab ble, it looks like Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are reuniting for a concert tour. The former duo has reserved dates at concert arenas across the; country, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, a concert industry trade publi cation. And they were scheduled to make a “very special an nouncement” at a New York nightclub on Tuesday, publicists said. There has been talk of a tour since Simon & Garfunkel per formed together to open the Grammy Awards ceremony in February, and they’ve done the logistical groundwork, Bongiovanni said. “Everyone’s been expecting it,” he said. “It was still in the speculative stages, because you never know when Artie and Paul will get in a fight and call the whole thing off.” The mega-selling folk-rock duo broke up more than three decades ago and they’ve had a fractious relationship since. They put their arms around each other after singing “The Sound of Silence” at the Grammys. They’ve reunited periodical ly, most notably for a concert tour of stadiums in 1983 and for a series of shows in 1993, Bongiovanni said. The duo’s publicists wouldn’t say anything Friday about the announcement, to be held at the Bottom Line. The New York-bred duo, known for Garfunkel’s angelic voice and Simon’s writing prowess, scored hits with “The Boxer,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Offstage, these old friends had trouble creating the same harmony. When he was induct ed as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Simon said of Garfunkel, “I re gret the ending of our friend ship, and I hope that one day be fore I die we will make peace with each other.” After the audience applaud ed warmly, Simon deadpanned, “No rush.” The Boss takes over Fenway in Boston BOSTON (AP) — Long before the glory days, Bruce Springsteen was just an opening act at a small theater here, play ing to a crowd that did not yet know each word of his songs. Watching one night in May 1974 was a Boston music critic who would soon write: “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Now the Boss is traveling the well-worn path back to his Boston roots, to play a venue whose legend matches his own. On Saturday and Sunday nights, Springsteen will per form the first-ever rock con certs at Fenway Park, bringing his working-class ballads to the quirky 91-year-old home of Red Sox heroics and heart break. “Boston’s become over the years just one of our really spe cial places,” said Jon Landau, the writer who penned the famed review and became Springsteen’s manager in 1978. “I’m guessing that we won’t have any shows that are any bet ter than the shows at Fenway. We just felt like it would be a special thing.” The chance to see a rock leg end on Fenway’s near-sacred turf has led to fierce demand lo cally, with the 36,000 tickets for each show selling out in less than an hour. “Literally, as fast as technol ogy could handle the demand, the tickets were gone,” said Dave Marsden, a vice president at promoter Clear Channel. “This is a level above Bruce Springsteen. This is ‘Bruce Springsteen at Fenway Park.’ It’s a magical combination of a very special artist and a unique setting.” As for Springsteen’s widely known predilection for *he New York Yankees, who are serendipitously hosting the Red Sox this weekend, the less said the better. Springsteen and his en tourage have a special feeling about Fenway, where many of the band members played an im promptu game of softball a few years ago during a tour of the fa bled park. In winning permission from the Red Sox’ new owners, Springsteen will tread where musicians as illustrious as Sir Paul McCartney and Boston Symphony Orchestra legend Seiji Ozawa have tried but failed to go. The last concert at Fenway was 30 years ago, when the Newport Jazz Festival relocated there for a two-day event that drew about 15,000 people. ‘Grand Ole Opry Live’ leaving CMT 0 NASHVILLE, TENN. (AP) — The live telecast of the Grand Ole Opry is moving from Country Music Television to its smaller competitor, Great American Country. The hour-long country music show, “Grand Ole Opry Live,” has appeared on CMT every Saturday night since 2001. It draws 1.5 million to 2 million viewers and was CMT’s highest rated weekly series. The move means the TV broadcast will reach fewer view ers. Great American Country, started in 1996, reaches only 25.2 million U.S. households, com pared to the more than 70 mil lion households reached by CMT. £ “There isn’t a bigger, longer^ running music show on TV to day,” said Jeff Wayne, president of Great American Country, whose parent company is Jones Media Networks of Englewood, Colo. “It really puts us on the map.” Great American Country will air “Grand Ole Opry Live” Saturdays at 8 p.m. EDT and in crease the number of repeat tele casts. Repeats will be three times on weekends and twicexm Tuesday.