University Daily Kansan, December 6, 1983
Page 7
Improved sound reproduction makes albums ideal for giving
By United Press International
NEW YORK — Extraordinary advances in the reproduction of stereo-sonic sound make the record album ideal for Christmas giving.
The most recent accomplishment is the Compact Disc, a wafer activated by a laser beam, that may approximate the ultimate in recreating symphonic music — or rock, for those who prefer it.
The CD's only drawback at present is cost. The receiver, which can be plugged into any stereophonic rig, retails for about $800 and up. CDs now sell for about $18 each. Major record companies are making CDs, and the prices should come down once the system gets 'into general use.
FOLLOWING THE CD in the never-ending search for true sound is the analogue Digital LP, which has almost no surface noise.
Most recordings being made today are analogue Digitalts and high-grade stereophonic LPs using the Dolby noise reduction system.
The original cast recording of "La Cage aux Folles" (CHE H81-AC824), a Red Seal digital, is a pure playback of the music that has made this show a success on Broadway this season. George Hearn and Gene Barry are the
singing stars who give a lift to the words and music of Jerry Herman, composer of "Hello Dolly" and "Mame."
RCA recently released several high-grade albums produced in France on the Erato label that are worth considering as gifts. A notable item in this group is "Chopin Melodies" (Erato STU7157), recorded by Teresa Ylis-Gara. It is unusual because Chopin is a virtuoso composer of traditions — and many well-informed music lovers have been unaware the Polish patriot also wrote songs.
A CROSSOVER BETWEEN the classics and rock has been achieved in Ray Manzarek's upbeat recording of Carl Orff's "Carmine Burana," with words in low Latin and German. Manzarek and his musicians follow Orff's ecstatic and sometimes musically erotic scene faithfully, but jazz it with a contemporary percussion instrument and a synthesizer operated by Adam Holzman.
Men and women approaching middle age probably have fond recollections of Herb Alpert's music of the 1606s. Alpert, who left the music scene briefly after generating around a dozen best-selling LPs, is back again with a fine album, "Blow Your Horn" (A&M SP4949).
The sound is not the same as the
flatted notes Alpert pushed through his trumpet when he headed the Tijuana Brass. But his trumpet dominates this session and there are some hints of Miles Davis on the slow tunes and the chord changes in the Selections include "Garden Party," now enjoying popularity as a single, and "Oriental Eyes."
CHRISTMAS ALBUMS RANGE from the country style of Kenny Rogers to the golden tones of Luciano Pavarotti, but nothing reflects the warmth of the Yule season more than the final movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, its theme being based on Friedrich von Schiller's "Ode to Joy."
Better known as the "Chorale," Beethoven's Ninth has been recorded by almost every leading conductor over the years. The latest is an RCA Digital recorded by Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic. Sound buffs will find it comparable with the music of a Compact Disc.
The CD, incidentally, is only 4 $ _{3/4} $ inches wide, but each wafer-thin, aluminum-plated disc contains all the music of a 12-inch LP. The disc houses thousands of computerized bits that are used for data storage; however frequency range is complete and the lack of surface noise makes the CD almost perfect.
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SENIORS Introducing Hilltoppers
The Jayhawker Yearbook is happy to announce the rebirth of an old tradition, the Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers Awards are the Jayhawker's way of recognizing those seniors who have made high calibre contributions to the University and/or Lawrence community. The award, which was last given in 1973, is being brought back by this year's yearbook staff and interested parties within the University.
Criteria for selection includes:
involvement and leadership in campus and community activities
- respect of the nominee's peers as-well-as his or her professors
- references that can address the quality of the nominee's service
a GPA of around 3.0, however grades will not play an extremely important part in the selection
The nominations will be screened by a committee that includes KU faculty, student representatives, and the Jayhawker staff. Anyone can nominate a senior for this award, and seniors can nominate themselves by picking up an application. They will be available at the Office of Student Organizations and Activities, 403 Kansas Union, and the Yearbook Office, 121 B Kansas Union. Deadline for acceptance of applications is Friday, January 20, 1984.
nineteen hundred eighty-four
JAYHAWKER
Madrigals liven Union ballroom
Sounds of silver bells echoed through the chambers entreating guests to come for an evening's merriment.
By the Kansan Staff
Sweet smells of wassail drifted throughout the air, mingling with the fragrances of the fresh evergreen that decorated the Kansas Union Ballroom.
Suddenly two trumpeters sent out a musical proclamation signaling the beginning of the evening's festivities.
Slowly the guests gathered at the candle-lit tables that were fully adorned in holiday attire for the 10th anniversary, all unisoned by Student Union Activities.
The Lawrence Vori Di Camera, a Lawrence a capella chair dressed in medieval attire, wandered through the tables praising the virtues of a hard glass of wassail, or hot cider, and proposed a toast to those who had gathered to partake in the feast.
With the same spirit that once filled the halls of King Arthur's Camelot, guests clanked their swords and each other a blessed Christmas Day.
The trumpeters, once again, burst out in royal proclamation — the entrance of a boar's head. Resting on a platter garnished with berries and apples, the boar's head was unabashedly paraded through the dining room and placed on a table in center stage.
the guests began to eat Cornish game hen and wild rice, a harpist rested her instrument on her right shoulder and quietly played the Christmas tunes that have echoed in hills hands through the centuries.
The quiet melodies of the harp were interrupted only by the antics of the jester. Frank Krug, Lawrence Holmes, and the audience with laughing acts.
Following the meal, the Vori Di Camera sang Christmas carols of the 15th and 16th centuries, along with today's familiar carols.
Barb Stovall, Wichita junior and the SUA public relations coordinator, said that she thought every holiday celebration the pre-Christmas celebration.
Everclear the Ultimate Mixer use in moderation, not intended for consumption unless mixed with non-alcoholic beverage