Plath comes alive for fans

On her 70th birthday, Sylvia Plath's intense voice greeted a small but devoted audience. The event held at Auer Hall Sunday was not a seance but a commemoration concert. Of course, Plath wasn't really there -- her recorded radio interview with the BBC was projected for all to hear. Not only did she talk about her poetry and her personal life's influence on her art, but she also recited her poem "Fever 103 ." This introduction prepared the audience for what they were about to hear -- an intense exploration of Plath's effect on music and musicians.\nThe first a series of three musical pieces was Ariel by composer Ned Rorem, born in 1923. Performed by soprano Joan Mettelli, clarinetist Tasha Dzubay and pianist Sally Renee Todd, the piece evokes deep, passionate emotions, often hidden at the very bottom of one's soul. This piece was based on five of Plath's poems: "Words," "Poppies in July," "The Hanging Man," "Poppies in October" and "Lady Lazarus." I have never imagined that adding clarinet to a musical piece can provide so much power. Dzubay's clarinet and Mettelli's soprano blended to show the amazing capabilities of the human voice -- the clarinet seemed an expression of a different human voice, not just that of a musical instrument. I particularly enjoyed "Lady Lazarus." In it, Rorem was able to interpret Plath's irony to reverberate in one's heart. The music and the emotion it carried was almost palpable. \nNext, IU graduate student Chantal Carleton premiered her a-cappella piece "Songs for Four Soloists." Four different voices -- a soprano, an alto, a tenor and a bass blended to sound despair, awareness of a loss and, at the same time, a questioning panic. Based on Plath's poems for her newborn son Nicholas, "Nick and the Candlestick" and "Morning Song," the piece interprets the oxymoron of Plath's poetry and imparts that understanding onto the audience. Even those who do not have a good ear for music, this piece seemed particularly successful. Even more so because of the emphasis given to certain words and phrases by having them sung by a single soloist, not all four. This effect helped me take to heart Plath's poetry.\nThe concert was a celebration of Plath's influence on artistic disciplines, mostly music. Catherine Bowman recited her poem "Sylvia's Tarot," written specifically for the concert. Thus she tied the literary and the musical aspect of Plath's influence. The poem itself is largely influenced by Plath's work -- it is as intense, ironic, imaginative and iconic as Plath's own writing. Bowman's voice echoed in Auer Hall -- the acoustics helped immensely and added to the atmosphere.\nThe headlining moment of the concert, a performance of Shulamit Ran's "Apprehensions," was saved for the end. The music impacts the senses, even more so because the musicians seem visibly influenced by it. Performed by soprano Ellen Ritchey, clarinetist Tasha Dzubay and pianist Jordi Torrent Curull, it is a feast of sounds. The piece is divided into four parts -- like Plath's poem. Ran developed her piece as a mini-opera with three movements and an epilogue. I savored the piece. Its music made me not only hear it, but also feel it, taste it, see it. The sharp breaks of the clarinet coupled with the melodious waves of the piano create a sound perception of Plath's juxtaposition of harmony and dissonance. As strange as it may sound, this sort of discord created by the mix of three very different musical instruments -- the clarinet, the voice and the piano -- becomes harmonious as the ear gets used to it. It is an accurate rendering of Plath's poetry. The last movement of the piece was particularly interesting. In contrast with the first three, it begins not with the clarinet, but with a melody piano reminiscent of a lullaby, despite the dark, violent content of the poem's last verse. \nIn the course of the concert, Plath's influence on music came alive before my eyes. The three pieces presented at the concert are a mere drop in the ocean of work influenced by Plath. As the organizers of the concert, I too hope that after enjoying this music, the audience has grown to appreciate Plath not only for a spicy personal life, but for her influence on art in general and music especially.