Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 23, 1994 TAG: 9409240024
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Yes, trolls -those ugly little men with crooked noses and humped backs who live in caves and under hills in houses made of crystal and gold.
Plaut, a violinist and instructor in Virginia Tech's music department, recently visited Norway with her colleague, pianist Kent Holliday. The duo gave a recital at the Ringve Museum of Music History in Trondheim, a city in Norway's rich lowlands.
Plaut said she quickly realized why trolls are favorite mythological creatures with the Norwegians.
"I began to understand that most of the people live in remote areas where it's dark most of the year - dark and pretty spooky. The people like to talk about the trolls."
"The Norwegians say you don't have to worry because the trolls always disappear when you shine a light on them," she added.
While they were in Norway, Plaut and Holliday visited the home of composer Edvard Grieg. Called "Troldhaugen," the name translates to "troll hill."
Plaut said Grieg's music hailed the mythological troll, too. One of his most famous works was the popular piece, "In the Hall of the Mountain King," from The Peer Gynt Suite.
At their recital in Norway, Plaut and Holliday performed Grieg's Violin Sonata in F Major.
"We were afraid that playing Grieg in Norway would be like bringing coals to Newcastle," Plaut said, "but it was the audience's favorite piece."
The duo also played two world premieres at the Ringve recital: Holliday's Passacaglia for Violin and Piano and Victoria Bond's "Weddings and Bar Mitzvahs."
Plaut and Holliday will present a repeat performance of their recital Saturday, starting at 8 p.m., in Virginia Tech's Squires Recital Salon. The program, "From Norway with Love," also includes works by Georg Philip Telemann, Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, Grazyna Bacewicz and Franz Liszt.
Tickets will be available at the ticket office in Squires Student Center Saturday evening. Admission is $3 for regular people and free for trolls.
IN THE MOOG: Chick Corea found his voice when he found the mini-Moog, a high-tech synthesizer. Although he started out as an acoustic jazz pianist, the band leader switched to electric piano and then to synthesizer when he formed his powerhouse fusion band, Return to Forever.
Return to Forever blazed the trail for fusion jazz in the '70s with albums like "Where Have I Known You Before," "No Mystery" and "Romantic Warrior." "No Mystery" was a Grammy Award winner.
In the late '70s, Corea began touring as a solo act and working with a variety of groups, including the Chick Corea Elektric Band.
Corea, whose addiction to music started at the ripe age of 4, has played with jazz greats such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in his 30-year career. His father, also a band leader, encouraged him and instilled in him a love for Latin music. The Latin influence is apparent in Corea's work as a composer.
His current band, The Chick Corea Quartet, features John Patitucci on bass, Bob Berg on sax and Gary Novak on drums.
The quartet will be at Radford University Wednesday for an 8 p.m. concert in Preston Auditorium. Admission is $14 for adults, $7 for children and free for Radford University students and staff. Call 831-5420 for ticket information.
AIN'T BLOWING SMOKE: Andy Bowyer, a long-time member of Playmakers & Company community theater and director of the troupe's season opener, "Guilty Conscience," decided to kick the habit.
Although the script called for smoking on stage, Bowyer decided to cut the stage directions and opt for a smoke-free theater.
"In the past, we have received complaints about smoke and the proximity of smoke to audience members," Bowyer said. "Out of concern for the health of our patrons and actors, too, for that matter, we have reworked areas of the show to make the need for smoking unnecessary."
"Just look at it as a public service," Bowyer added. "Playmakers save lives to ensure repeat patronage."
"Guilty Conscience," a murder mystery, opens tonight and runs through Sunday at Playmakers' Playhouse in Blacksburg's University Mall. Curtain time tonight and Saturday is at 7:30. Sunday's performance is at 2 p.m.
The play continues Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 and again Oct. 6 through Oct. 8.
Cast members are Steve Brown, Elsie McCombs, Sharon Donohue and newcomer B.J. Jordan. Lanny Dietz is the technical director.
Bowyer said "Guilty Conscience" is one of those shows that actually keeps you in suspense until the curtain falls.
"If the last page were torn out of the script," he noted, "we would never know for sure how it ended."
Tickets, available at the door, are $6 for adults or $4 for students and senior citizens. For recorded information, call 382-0154.
LIFT OFF: DiscoveryWorks ...a children's museum will launch its 1994-95 exhibit season with "Small Steps, Giant Leaps: A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Man's Walk on the Moon." It opens Saturday at the museum in Radford's Norwood Center.
At 1 p.m., Scott Asbury of NASA will give a presentation. The interactive hands-on exhibit will be open for viewing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Items on display include artifacts from astronaut Michael Collins on loan from the Special Collections at Virginia Tech, as well as a satellite model, telescopes and a rocket nose provided by Brian Dennison of Tech's physics department. Dennison also has a space exploration commemorative stamp collection in the exhibit.
Other attractions are a planetarium discovery corner set up by Imagination Station of Blacksburg, a collection of moon rocks courtesy of Susan Errickson with the Museum of Natural History at Virginia Tech and a photography panel outlining the development of the NASA space program at Langley Air Force Base. NASA also loaned a space shuttle suit and a space shuttle model. A moon globe from McConnell Library at Radford University is part of the display, too.
The museum will offer classes related to the exhibit, and education director Lane Ducker will give guided and special group tours. Call 633-2233 for information and schedules.
The exhibit will remain on display through the end of January. Regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 for adults or $1 for kids 2 to 17. Family passes are available for $6.
PLANT-DEMONIUM: Virginia Tech's Horticulture Garden is the place to be today if you're looking for things of beauty.
The annual fall plant sale runs from 4 to 7 p.m. At 5:15 p.m., the "Grand Giveaway" begins with a variety of plants there for the taking.
Bob Lyons, director, said you should arrive early because the best plants are gone before you can say marigold!
You need to bring your own trowels and boxes for the freebies.
Three local nurseries - Greenbrier Nurseries, the Flower Shop and Rick's Custom Nursery - will participate in the sale. Part of the proceeds will go to the Horticulture Gardens.
For more information, call Lyons at 231-5783.
by CNB