Daily
Nebraskan
Monday, October 11,1993
Arts Entertainment
Page
photo courtesy IMG Artists
Violinist Leila Josefowicz performed at the Lied Center for Performing Arts Friday Night. Josefowicz is 16-years-old.
16-year-old wields a mean bow
Concert
review
Child prodigies have a hard life.
They work tirelessly to perfect
their art—-and then get written off
as just the latest kid performer.
Leila Joscfowicz plays violin
and at 16 is already developing a
powerful and passionate style.
She is well on the way to being
something much more than the lat
est new kid on the block.
J o se fo w i c z, w h o pe r lb r m e d F r i -
day night at the Lied Center, began
her national career at 10. She began
practicing the violin at age T
She has performed under some
big-name conductors, including
Leonard Slalkin and James
DePreist.
Accompanying her for several
numbers on piano was John
Novacck, a composer and accom
plished performer with a some
what overstated playing style.
Joscfowicz. opened the show
with two sonatas for violin anil
piano—the first by Mozart and the
second by Gabriel Faure.
Though admirably executed,
neither pf these pieces showcased
the violinist. It wasn’t until the
second half of the program that
Joscfowicz began to show her col
ors.
She performed the “Sonata No.
4 for Solo Violin, Op. 27” by Eu
gene Ysaye passionately and with
great energy.
Joscfowicz wrestled with the
music, almost in rebellion against
the notes.
During the last movement, her
face visibly Hushed. She appeared
to win her battle with the music and
draw it under her rein.
It is this kind of playing, not
mere accuracy of notes and time
signatures, that makes for a com
pelling and evocative performance.
Then in two pieces by Igor
Stravinsky — particularly the
“Danse Russc” from the
“Petroushka” ballet — she again
showed her audience the struggle
between artist and art.
The piece, famous to baby
boomers and theirdescendants from
“CJilligan’s Island” (I ask to be. or
not to be/That is the question that I
ask of me), could have been me
chanically performed — it is alter
all the dance of mechanical pup
pets.
Hut Josefowic/.’s performance
was joyous and human and impas
sioned.
Her performance, in fact,
brought something to the music
that audiences might not have heard
before.
In light of the second halfof the
show, the first seemed blase and
predictable.
Is this the old theory at work:
that audiences have lobe “warmed
up” at the beginning it they are to
participate by the end?
Or is it that Josefowic/ is not
fully confident as yet in her own
power to win an audience?
If the latter, she should fear no
more.
The work on stage m the last
halfol Friday night’sshow won her
an enthusiastic standing ovation
from a Lincoln crowd, something
that not even some of the greats can
boast.
—Mark Baldridge
Pumpkins
send crowd
into frenzy
0 Concert
1 review
A swarm of sweat-drenched, writh
ing Smashing Pumpkins Ians wit
nessed one of the most powerlul shows
to grace Omaha’s Peony Park, and the
entire area, m a long while on Thurs
day.
Despite an overloaded, bass-rid
den sound system, the Chicago band
delivered a high-intensity perfor
mance, dcfyingclaims that the Pump
kins can't hack it live.
The first note ol the Pumpkins'
first song.'T leek LISA." set oil a near
violent pit that cl id not slow down all
night.
As the temperature rose, so did the
pace of the set. hammering out songs
like "Hummer and ‘Mayonnaise"
and mcsmeri/mglhe crowd with I )is
arm." which turned mio a massne
sing-along w ith chic! Pumpkin Id!\
(organ.
linger ami guitarist <. organ, along
withguilarist.lames lha,bassist I) arcs
and drummer Jimmy C hamberlin,
invaded Omaha as pari ol a whirlu md
lour supporting “Siamese Dream,"
the band’s recently released album on
Virgin Records.
The set was surprisingly well exe
cuted, considering ihe heavily lay
ered sound found on the album.
Other pleasers included “Quiet"
and, from the Pumpkins’ first album
“(iish,” “1 Am One" and “Siva." The
crowd reached the crushing point
as those unfortunate to find them
selves against the stage would testify
— with “Cherub Rock.” ^
The band used no clever nor excit
ing stage antics, with Corgan choos
ing instead to shoot spooky looks at
the crowd, occasionally dancing like
a drugged rag doll and D arcy spend
ing most of the show examining the
floor or the wall beside her.
But the Smashing Pumpkins left
the crowd in a bloodied trance brought
on solely by the band’s mastery ol
transcendental rock and roll.
The sign outside Peony Park I hurs
day read “Puppet Show with Smash
ing Pumpkins,” spoofing the point in
the classic film “This is Spinal Tap"
when a huge band was on its way
down — if Omaha's reaction is any
indication. Smashing Pumpkins is
surely on its way up.
— Glenn Antonucci
Twelfth Night opens with great set, cogent acting
theater
review
uinl s I hursday night opening pcrlormancc
of “Twelfth Night” was slightly marred by
squeaky seats, tweeting birds and discourteous
University Foundations students.
Despite the low points, the University The
atre Arts and Dance’s season opener had its
share of highlights as well.
I wo of those were terrific costumes
designed by UNL Theatre professor Janice
Stauffer — and a terrific panoramic'sel, cour
tesy of another professor, UNL newcomer
C huck O’Connor.
As with most of Shakespeare’s plays,
” Iwelfth Night” has three stories running si
multaneously, each one providing important
bits and pieces for the others. Of course, the
play alsoemploys other Shakespeare standards,
including faked letters, disguises and mistaken
identity.
I lie intertwining stories are set in the make
believe land ol Illyria A duke’s unrequited
b'^e for a lady, a slnpwrecked young woman s
escapades in drag and the beleaguered troubles
of a lady’s manservant all combine for comedy
and drama.
UNI. graduate Eric Thompson is Duke
Orsino, a man whose love for the lady Olivia
(Missy Thibodeaux) is completely rejected.
Olivia’s scorn is not a response to any character
Haws, but instead, a matter of the heart — she
believes she is completely incapable of loving
him.
Their story is further complicated by the
arrival of Viola (Joan Korte)—a young woman
who is shipwrecked and disguises herself as a
man. Viola becomes a messenger for the duke,
and soon becomes entangled in his love affair
with Olivia. Meanwhile, she mourns her broth
er, who she believes drowned in the shipwreck.
And finally, there is the comic mess with
Olivia’s manservant Malvolio (Dean Houser),
who finds himself the butt of pranks and jokes
from the play’s merry band of buffoons and
tricksters. The comical characters include Sir
Toby Belch (Patrick Tuttle), Sir Andrew
Aguecheek (S.R. Bigelow), Olivia’s lady-m
waitmg Maria (Amy (Jaiiher-Hayes) and l este
(Troy Marlin), the jester.
While most of the characters cross storylines >
See NIGHT on 11
David Badders/DN
