Word: strausses
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...style was perfect for Strauss' moody Sonata in E-flat Major. This sonata is Romantic with a capital R and dramatic, alternating quickly between slow, cinematic melodies and passionate bombastic chords. Critics have often suggested that the eruptive Strauss sonata is more appropriate for a large-scale symphony orchestra than for violin and piano, yet the piece could not have been more perfect for Chang...
Chang played quickly and never lingered on particularly expressive passages, but she never skimmed over a note in any of the piece's numerous virtuosic passages. Technically, Chang's playing was flawless. Chang proved herself completely flexible in the Strauss piece, jumping with remarkable clarity from her growling low register to her blossoming upper one. The last movement of the sonata was particularly memorable. Chang pushed the last movement's triumphant theme forward almost stubbornly. With expert poise, Chang bluffed the audience with the faux ending--some audience members prepared to clap. Unlike most faux endings, this one was truly...
Unfortunately, the Mozart was the first piece on Friday night's program and thus negatively colored the rest of the recital. The Strauss came second and somewhat restored the audience's faith. On the other hand, programming the Strauss after the Mozart clearly indicated Chang's underlying problem: she plays the same way all the time. The triumph of the Strauss was diminished by the overwhelming notion that the piece was chosen not for its inherent musical qualities but because it coincidentally contained musical elements at which Chang excels. Had the Strauss been programmed first, the overall feel...
...time half a million hippies danced button fly to button fly at Woodstock 28 years ago, the miners' blue jeans first made by Levi Strauss in 1873 had been adopted as the uniform for class rebellion. But the enduring, red-tagged faded blues have recently earned another reputation. "My mom wears Levi's," says Hannah Gasner, 15, a Manhattan high school sophomore, uttering the words that youth marketers dread. "I think about them as the first jeans invented. Levi's are reliable...
Levi's, which has stayed true-blue to its denim, has been slow to move on fashion trends like the currently favored wide-leg pants. "It's a fair assessment to say we were behind in fashion," says Gordon Shank, president of Levi Strauss, the Americas. "Levi's strength is that it is never the most fashionable but the most relevant." But that has cost the company. Levi Strauss's U.S. sales last year hit $4.3 billion, but fierce competition and a leveling off of demand forced it to announce last week a round of belt-tightening measures. The company...