The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 03, 2004, Page 8, Image 8
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evoked the bedlam of a world breaking
apart through their performance of
“Cataclysmic Events” with insistent
percussion and shrieking effects from
the French horns and oboe. The horror
of the first two movements lent a sense
of triumph in the restored musical order
of the final movement, which featured a
hymn-like tune and a triumphant
ending.
After intermission Wind Ensemble I
took the stage. It was immediately
apparent why this group is considered
first-tier as they performed Carl
Friedemann’s “Slavonic Rhapsody.”
Greater clarity of tone and cleaner
intonation are among the qualities that
distinguished this group. Each section
executed difficult passages with bravura
in , “Slavonic Rhapsody,” which
showcased that skill of these advanced
musicians.
USC alumna Wendy Cohen
performed the flute solo in “Concerto
for Flute and Wind Band” by Michael
Mower, a contemporary composer
whose music shows jazz influences. The
intricate improvisatory solos displayed
Cohen’s virtuosity and bright tone. The
orchestra answered the solo flute with
matching clarity. Cohen and Wind
Ensemble I shone in this intricate and
creative piece.
ihe group closed the evening with
Toshio Mashima’s “Les trios notes du
Japon,” program music written to depict
scenes from Mashima’s native Japan.
The first movement used contrasting
boisterous and melodic sections to paint
its musical picture. The lovely second
movement, inspired by the scene of an
ice-locked river, was one of the high
points of the evening. Rapid, sinuous
notes evoked flowing water, and
shivering trills and chattering percussion
filled the hall with the feeling of cold.
The third movement expressed the
riotous sounds of a Japanese festival
through contrasting sections and thick
orchestration.
Monday evening’s performance
celebrated the achievement of many
student musicians. The program was
varied and introduced the audience to
several fascinating new works. Come
hear many of these talented students at
the Chamber Winds Ensemble concert
on Nov. 16.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gumt.sc. edu
u
■ JUDE
Continued from page 7
part) because, for all intents and
purposes, it really went against what I
felt about remakes. It’s a classic film.
“But two things happened. One is
the fear factor, I suppose, the challenge
of trying to pull it off,” he said. “Gosh,
this is something that is a worthwhile
hurdle to overcome because it scared
me so much, the sheer size of the part,
and the responsibility that lands on that
pan’s shoulders. And also because
(director) Charles Shyer turned the
spotlight in a different direction, and
made it very clear that this is a character
... who sits like an icon along with the
Don Juans and the Casanovas.”
Law’s next movie commitment is
another remake, this time of Robert Penn
Warren’s “All the King’s Men,” directed
by screenwriter Steve Zaillian with Sean
Penn and Meryl Streep. Law’s signed to
play narrator-political operative Jafck
Burden. The 1949 Richard Rossen
original won Oscars for best picture,
actor and supporting actress.
The actor was married at age 24 to
actress Sadie Frost, with whom he has
three children. Their breakup last year,
while she was in postpartum
depression, was splayed across the
carnivorous British tabloids.
Today, he lives in the bubble, the
protective cocoon that shields
celebrities from real life and daily
hassles, though today he’s come from
the dentist because of the late arrival of
his wisdom teeth.
Living in the bubble, Law had no
idea that “Huckabees” was opening the
day after he was speaking.
“When do the reviews tome out?”
he asked, surprised to learn some had
already appeared. “What are they like?
Jude Law stars as the title character in the movie remake "Alfie" from Paramount Pictures. Michael Caine was the original "Alfie.”
Have there been some nasty ones?”
Many reviewers, he’s told, didn’t get
“Huckabees.”
“The film is not about understanding.
I think it’s about all of us searching for a
route into understanding ourselves, and
then we realize there is no answer to
understanding ourselves,” he said. “ ... It
just tries to make you think and feel.”
In “Alfie,” he plays a selfish user,
drunk with self-deception, not above
sleeping with his best friend’s girlfriend.
The movie offers no pretty ending and
few lessons learned.
“I’m very proud of this piece.
We’ve got to stop believing that our
lives can be wrapped up in red ribbons,
or (being) told that all our problems
can be solved,” he said. “ ... Alfie
achieves a great amount by
questioning himself just that once” at
the end of the movie, where he utters
the infamous line immortalized in the
Burt Bacharach song — “What’s it all
about?”
In the remake, as well as the original,
“Alfie” brazenly talks directly to the
audience.
“My constant was the camera. It
reminded me of the great
Shakespearean asides. ... It’s your
opportunity to see into his own head.”
Law thinks about returning to the
theater, possibly in two years. He
certainly has the hair for Hamlet.
In the meantime, he’s “kind of
trying to make the most of the good
wave that’s come my way,” a man aware
enough to understand the inviting place
where he resides.
Controversial Dutch filmmaker slain
By TOBY STERLING
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — A
Dutch filmmaker who had received
death threats after releasing a movie
criticizing the treatment of women
under Islam was slain in Amsterdam on
Tuesday, police said.
A suspect was arrested after a
shootout with officers that left him
wounded, police said.
Filmmaker Theo van Gogh had
been threatened after the August airing
of the movie “Submission,” which he
made with a right-wing Dutch
politician who had renounced the
Islamic faith of her birth. Van Gogh
had received police protection after its
release.
Dutch national broadcaster NOS
and other media reported that Van
Gogh’s killer shot and stabbed his
victim and left a note on his body.
NOS said witnesses described the
attacker as having an “Arab
appearance.”
A witness who lives in the
neighborhood heard six shots, and
saw the man concealing a gun. She
said he walked away slowly, spoke to
someone at the edge of the park, and
then ran.
“He was walking slowly, like he was
trying to be cool,” she said, describing
him as wearing a long beard and Islamic
garb. “He was either an Arabic man or
someone disguised as a Muslim,” she
said.
The slain filmmaker was the great
grandson of the brother of famous
Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, who
was also named Theo.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter
Balkenende called on the Dutch people
to remain calm.
“Nothing is known about the
motive,” he said in a written statement.
“I want to call on everyone not to jump
to far-reaching conclusions. The facts
must first be carefully weighed so let’s
allow the investigators to do their
jobs.”
Balkenende praised Van Gogh as a
proponent of free speech who had
“outspoken opinions.”
“It would be unacceptable if a
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mourners pause outside Theo van Gogh’s house in Amsterdam. The director was killed Tuesday.
difference of opinion led to this brutal
murder,” he said.
Police spokesman Eric Vermeulen
said the attacker fled to the nearby East
Park, and was arrested after exchanging
gunfire with police. Both the suspect
and a policeman suffered minor
injuries.
“They were conscious” when taken
to hospital, Vermeulen said.
Van Gogh’s killing immediately
rekindled memories of the 2002
assassination of Dutch politician Pirn
Fortuyn who polarized the nation with
his anti-immigration views and was
shot to death days before national
elections.
In addition to his film, van Gogh
also wrote columns about Islam that
were published on his Web site,
www.theovangogh.nl, and Dutch
newspaper Metro.
The short television film
“Submission,” which aired on Dutch
television in August, enraged the
Muslim community in the
Netherlands.
It told the fictional story of a
Muslim woman forced into a Violent
marriage, raped by a relative and
brutally punished for adultery.
The English-language film was
scripted by a right-wing politician who
years ago renounced the Islamic faith of
her birth and now refers to herself as an
“ex-Muslim.”
Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a
member of the Dutch parliament, has
repeatedly outraged fellow Muslims by
criticizing Islamic customs and the
failure of Muslim families to adopt
Dutch ways.
The place of Muslim immigrants in
Dutch society has long been a
contentious issue in the Netherlands,
where many right-wing politicians have
pushed for tougher immigration laws
and say Muslims already settled in the
country must make a greater effort to
assimilate.
Theo van Gogh, 47, has often
come under criticism for his
controversial movies. In December,
his next movie 06-05about the
May 6, 2002 assassination of Pim
Fortuyn, is scheduled to debut on the
Internet.
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all welcome, a free event
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