ight itt a dances fine between form and chaos IRVANA SMELLS like more teen spirit; Iggy Pop wakes up sweating in the night. Nirvana — In Utero, Geffen Records 1993 “[ miss the comfort in being sad" — from Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle. Man, that Kurt Cobain is one dark and anxiety-ridden youngster. The trick is that he has learned to make the most of his particular spin on inner despair, fear, anger and alienation. He shares it with the world and gives voice to kin- dred souls who trip about in the ’ spiritual twilight zone. Banging and scratching at the stony walls inside the womb of his emotional entombment, Cabain, 26, and fellow Grunge Overlords Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, tock massively two years in the wake of Nevermind. That state- ment sent shockwaves, and con- tinues to send shudders, throughout the pop music in- dustry. ~ Chunks of abrasive brilliance show everywhere here among the vy : Michael Becker RECORD REVIEW Coarse sonic barrages, prima! bellowings and solid backbeats. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter sums up the state of Nirvana, as the hand teeters upon the fine line be- tween form and chaos, revelation and confusion. In Utero happens to be the solipsistic place of the moment. tguy Pop — American Caesar, Virgin Records 1993 Iggy, 46, was once what Nir- vana’s Kurt Cobain is. ‘ Earlier in his career, he went one better out on the rock ‘n’ roll edge, showing Doth bodily and psychic mutilations. He has since become somewhat of a punk Sinatra and has put out his fair share of lame throw-aways. Cellist’s rep rises on string of successes Schubert Quintet in C major, Gp. 163, D. 956; CBS Masterworks Series #MK 39134. Yo-Yo Ma —~ cello; The Cleveland Quartet. ESPITE HIS name, Yo-Yo Ma's roaring i career as just about the world’s most lionized cellist appears to be ever- rising on a string of suc- cesses. Likewise, his recording output continually grows in keeping with demand as his name becomes ever more familiar. It’s in this context that news of his imminent arrival in Vancouver for the VSO season opener sends aficionados and dilettantes alike into paroxysms of nervous excite- ment and anticit.ation. An eight-time Grammy Award winner, the 38-year-old Ma ieceived two of those just this year ior his recording of the Brahms - Cello Sonatas with Emanuel Ax ‘and his marriage of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante with Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. Ma records exclusively for Sony these days but our CD pre-dates that label’s takeover of CBS some four years ago, so it's still branded with the old logo. Schubert‘s C major Quintet is one of the most sombre of that composer's works, though it is, ironically, harmonically and me- lodically complex. It is often deemed the epitome _ of Schubert's art with one biogra- pher going so far as to call it “the charter of romantic music.’ Though disproportionate at best, it isn't overly surprising that such en- thusiasm could be aroused by this “- quintet’s seemingly endless flow of expansive, sonelike music. It was written just a few months wo» before Schubert’s death in 1828 -_and, though he mentions in a let- ter that rehearsals were expected to begin soon, it is unlikely that Schu bert ever heard this music performed. His health had long been frail and in the latter part of that final year he moved in with his brother Ross MacDonald CLASSICAL MUSIC Ferdinand to try and recover from “a general weakness.” Mt just wasn't in the cards, how- ever, and Schubert died on the 19th of November at age 31. In typical 19th century fashion, syphilis was automatically suspected as the culprit, but there has never been any substantial evidence to indicate that as the ac- tual cause. The actual cause of his death will likely remain a mystery. There is no mystery, however, in the appeal of this recording. It is, perhaps, one of the best inter- pretations of the quintet, largely because of Ma’s participation. And despite being a 1984 re- cording, it lies just on the post- natal side of digital technology so itis a true DDD recording, not a re-mastered AAD retread. Of course, the Cleveland Quartet gets full kudos too for creating a perfectly balanced en- vironment that literally forces Ma to keep in line. There ae no flights of fancy here, only well-rooted, solid per- formances irom one and all. Ma‘s Vancouver concert begins a little early — at 7 p.m. instead of the traditional 8 o'clock cancert on Friday, Oct. 1. Maestro Sergiu Comissiona opens the evening in leading the orchestra through Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture and Tchaikov- sky's Francesca da Rimini. Ma will take the stage for the second half with Tchaikovsky's Andante Can- tabile for Cello and Orchestra, then Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor. Gala tickets are still avaiable. For more information, call 684- 9100. The barfy track /t’s Our Love confirrns again that iggy has yet to shake the enfeebling influence of the man who inspired him at the age of eight to sing in the first place — Frank Sinatra, Elsewhere American Ceasar seems honest enough to convince that Iggy is not simply posturing when returning to his rebellious avays, There is the prerequisite spit-in-yereye and F-you attitude but it’s tempered with insight. The oddest of the 16 tracks here include a fun reworking of Louie Lauie, complete with new lyrics like, “The Communist world is fallin’ apart; the Capitalists are just breakin’ hearts; money is the reason to be; it makes me just wanna sing Louie Louie.” Caesar, featuring Iggy as crazed despot, caps the affair with dyspeptic humor and cautionary metaphor. Photo Anton Cosbijn KURT COBAIN (centre) with bandmates Krist Novoselic (left) and David Grohl return with in Utero an Geffen Records. Terrific tastes ond sensotional prices — it’s a Dungeness CRABFEST every night in October. Six mouth-watering appetizers, nine fabulous entrees. Values? A crab and sirloin dinner with fresh vegetables, steamed Ofatoes, onion crisps and butter for dipping is yours “S& or just $9.99! CRABFEST at the Boathouse in October. Join us for the tastes, the savings, the smiles! STARTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7 Your Neighbourhood Seafood Bar & Grill RICHMOND 833] River Rd. 973-1014 NEW WEST 900 Qu 525-3474 WHITE ROCK 14935 Marine Dr. 536-7320 HORSESHOE BAY 6695 Nelson Ave. 921-8188 ide Dy.