A&E

Hurst Hot Takes: Red (Taylor’s Version) brings back favorites

By Mackenzie Zent Contributing writer

For many, Taylor Swift’s era of country heartbreak songs and red lipstick may seem worlds away; but on Nov. 19 of this year, the star will be re-releasing her Red album.

While it is labeled as country, there is something for everyone on the album.

“Red (Taylor’s Version),” will have a total of 30 songs, as opposed to the original 22 (including the bonus tracks). Nine of the new songs are “from the vault,” which means they were not on the original album but were initially written to be released at the same time.

Some of these vault tracks will feature different artists, such as Phoebe Bridgers and Chris Stapleton.

The song “Ronan,” which was only ever released as a single, will be included on the album, along with a ten minute version of “All Too Well.”

Fans are very excited to experience these songs for the first time again and learn the lyrics to some brand new ones.

Most people don’t know why Taylor Swift is rerecording her albums, so here’s the breakdown. Shockingly, Swift doesn’t own five out of her nine studio albums.

The artist signed a 13-year contract to Big Machine Records in 2005 when she was only 15 years old.

By doing this, she agreed to give up the master copies of her albums; however, she was never given the chance to buy them back.

This resulted in her plan to rerecord her first six albums after her contract ended in 2018 so she could finally own the albums she devoted her whole life to creating.

On Apr. 9 of this year, Swift released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” and it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart.

Many fans expect “Red (Taylor’s Version)” to do just as well.

I predict that it will do even better than “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” because Red was more popular than Fearless was when the albums were originally released.

Swift and her team did a great job of picking a release date because Red is a perfect album for fall.

Originally released in October of 2012, the heartbreak anthems give off a cold, fall feel with a lot of autumn imagery included in the lyrics, as well.

Even the colors of the leaves on the trees outside will be burning “red.”

For a lot of people, the release of “Red (Taylor’s Version)” will be filled with nostalgia.

Many of us remember singing the words to “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “22” as kids with our friends and taking fall walks while listening to the rest of the album.

A lot of fans remember buying tickets and going to the Red tour, and I’m sure so many of those happy memories are going to come flooding back.

I am really looking forward to hearing “State of Grace” and “Holy Ground” especially because those are two of my all-time favorite Taylor Swift songs.

“All Too Well” is also a fan favorite, and I can’t wait to listen to the ten-minute version of it.

“Red” was originally released almost ten years ago, and it’s going to be really cool to hear how Swift’s voice has changed and improved since then.

When “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” was released, I really enjoyed listening for the subtle differences between the two albums, and I’m impatiently waiting to see what she has in store for “Red (Taylor’s Version).”

To say I’m excited is an understatement.

Get ready to feel happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way as we watch it all begin again on Nov. 19.

Contributed photo The track list for the upcoming album “Red (Taylor’s Version)” by award-winning artist Taylor Swift.

MU updates Tchaikovsky classic

By Abigail Eyler Contributing writer

The Mercyhurst Dance Department is set to perform the Tchaikovsky ballet “Swan Lake” with performances Nov. 12 - 14 and Nov. 19 - 21.

“Swan Lake,” one of the most famous ballets, is set to music composed in 1876 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The ballet premiered in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre.

It was originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger and performed by the Bolshoi Ballet Company.

Initially inspired by Russian and German folklore, Odette, a princess, is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer.

The Mercyhurst Civic Orchestra, conducted by Professor Jonathan Moser, will perform the musical score for the ballet.

All new costumes will be custom-made for the show by Claudia Katherine.

Roles of the ballet include: Odette, also known as The Swan Queen, The Swan Princess, the princess who was transformed into a swan; Prince Siegfried, the handsome prince who falls in love with Odette; Baron von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer who has enchanted Odette; Odile, Rothbart’s daughter; Benno von Sommerstern, also known as just Benno, the prince’s friend; The Queen, the prince’s mother; Wolfgang, Prince Siegfried’s tutor; Leading Swans; and Cygnets.

According to Professor Jennifer McNamara MFA, Assistant Professor of Dance, the presentation of the ballet will highlight the idea of gender, particularly how masculinity and femininity are presented in dance.

McNamara said, “The swans’ choreography, with the lush port de bras, is often seen as the ultimate representation of feminine movement ideals in dance.”

The casting choices are going to reflect this conversation and how movement should not be seen as inherently feminine or masculine, embracing modern ideas of gender.

Another important element of the production is the controversial ending and troubling expression of traditional gender roles.

Traditionally, Odette and Siegfried jump into the lake to live together for an eternity.

However, McNamara said, “We’re making some shifts to these parts of the story, drawing on the Irish folktale, The Children of the Lir and being cognizant of power dynamics between characters of the opposite, as well as the same, gender presentations.”

This combination of stories will change the choreography and staging, but it will still be cohesive to the main plot.

Additionally, SafeNet, an organization whose focus is the support of domestic violence victims, will benefit from the event’s fundraising.

The roles of Odette, Odile and von Rothbart will be danced by students along with all the soloist and corps de ballet roles.

Siegfried will be performed by a guest artist.

Some of the extras are still being actively casted for male students and faculty, so be sure to contact Professor McNamara if interested.

Other important things to note is the change in language used to describe certain roles.

First, the role of Odile is often referred to as the “Black Swan” and Odette is referred to as the “White Swan”.

While the intention of the color of the two swans is to differentiate from good and evil, the binary understanding of color and disposition can be understood inappropriately.

These characters’ names will be altered to create more inclusive and respectful roles. Also, the roles of “Big Swans” and “Little Swans” will be renamed as “Leading Swans” and “Cygnets”.

While some small changes have been made to promote diversity in the classic work, it is still the timeless piece inspired by the original Tchaikovsky score.

The show is sure to excite with its fabulous choreography, custom costumes and beautiful music.

Make sure to reserve your free student ticket today and support your fellow Mercyhurst students as they perform their hearts out on stage.

We’re making some shifts to these parts of the story... and being cognizant of power dynamics between characters of the opposite, as well as the same gender presentations.”

Live music is back with Faculty Collage Showcase

By Abigail Eyler Contributing writer

Live music has finally returned to Mercyhurst with the first concert of the Fall 2021 semester being the Faculty Collage.

Mercyhurst’s D’Angelo Department of Music featured faculty members Dr. Nathan Hess, Dr. Scott Meier, Professor Rebecca Wunch, Professor Bradley Amidon and Professor Jonathan Nolan in the faculty showcase recital on Sept. 8.

The concert featured a variety of pieces on instruments including piano, saxophone, clarinet, marimba and guitar.

Also featured was music from a variety of time periods, including the romantic era, the classical era and twentieth century music.

The concert was the first live concert at Mercyhurst from the music department since the Spring 2020 semester, so it was an incredibly exciting event for performers and viewers alike.

Immediately noticeable was the energy that performing to a live audience brought back to each faculty member, many of whom had limited to no performances since the pandemic.

Hess said, “It was great once again to have the energy from the crowd, hear the applause and feel the full spotlights against the face. It wasn’t daunting at all, but rather a homecoming.”

This feeling resonated with all the performers as each one had presented a brief speech to the audience thanking them for being there as well as talking about the challenges the pandemic brought to performers.

Continuing, Hess said that the live audience helped with “spontaneous musical decisions.”

These sentiments were also seen through the performance as Meier chose his piece “Tranquility” from Creston Saxophone Sonata due to its harmonies and calming qualities.

The piece serves as a reflection of the past year and how performing it helps with relaxation.

Hess also performed two of his own pieces from Waldszenen, most notably “Movement I: Eintritt” and “Movement 7: Vogel” als “Prophet, Bird as Prophet.”

Hess said about “Eintritt,” “Schumann intended that movement to introduce the listener to a walk through the forest, so in the college recital it started a journey through each piece on the program.”

As it was the introductory piece of the concert, it set the mood by distancing the audience from the real world for the hour-long concert.

The other piece, “Vogel als Prophet,” featured dissonant chords and bird calls, highlighting the Romantic movement where music is heavily inspired by sounds found in nature.

Hess said of “Vogel als Prophet”, “Its contrasting middle section is so expressive and beautiful as if to bring a calmness to the arguments the bird presents in the two outer sections.” This use of contrast was relevant throughout the concert as the pieces presented featured switches in tonality, rhythm and other musical elements.

However, this piece in particular presented an interesting effect on the audience; while there were no words, the music effectively conveyed a beautiful story.

Logistically, the guitar and percussion pieces were chosen as many students are unfamiliar with repertoire in both fields.

Many recitals feature the standard classical instruments focusing on pieces and techniques that are well-known for the instrument.

The piece Amidon performed, “Torse III,” had four movements and used the marimba to its full extent, including range, tessitura and harmonies.

It was also the only piece of music performed from a non-Western composer.

Nolan’s pieces were played by solo guitar, and the piece “Asturias” is a well-known guitar piece.

While well-known repertoire was performed, the technical challenges of having two melodies at once made the piece harmonically realized.

Finally, Wunch’s choice of repertoire, Rossini’s Introduction, Theme and Variations for clarinet, used the full range of the instrument and a classical era writing style.

This piece ended with the final variation: a quick, loud piece allowing the concert to end with a different tone from the start.

The piece seemed to jolt the audience into recognizing that the concert was over.

The variety of the concert, as well as the talented performers, allowed the audience to be fully immersed in the music, each taking you to a different scene, feeling or style/era of music.

Also, the energy felt by each performer showed the importance of the audience, a feat that is difficult to achieve with a variety of performers briefly performing their sets.

Though many recurring themes were presented throughout the show, the most obvious was the love that performers and viewers alike share for live music.

There is no doubt that Mercyhurst has a lot of talented professors and it is always nice to be able to see them do something they love, which is to perform.

For many of them, the excitement they get from performing is probably why they decided to persue a career that will encourage students, who have the same excitment when they perform, to continue utilizing their talent and passion for something that they love to do.

Make sure to keep your eye out for the next faculty performance as there are usually a few throughout the semester.

Contributed photo

The storefront of Dominick’s Diner.

The 814: Dominick’s Diner

By Emma Coppolo A&E Editor

Located on 123 East 12th Street, Dominick’s Diner is a must-visit for a cheap, delicious meal.

The diner is just a quick drive from campus and perfect for a snack between study sessions or breakfast after a late night.

It’s open from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, and their range of menu items is impressive.

The Italian diner has soups, sandwiches, salads, omelettes, pizzas, combo baskets, breakfast platters, snacks, Italian specialties and full dinners.

Basically, if you can think of something, they have it.

This past weekend, I got to try Dominick’s for myself, and I absolutely recommend it.

After driving all over Erie trying to find a breakfast place that was not packed, this was my last stop.

One of the things I miss most about my small town is our diners with homestyle cooking and that cozy atmosphere, which I have had a hard time finding here in Erie.

Walking into Dominick’s, there were a few tables of older people having their morning coffee and the familiar smell of grease on Sunday mornings.

It was a nice shift from the normal fast-paced, rushed diner scene I have found in the city; it was weirdly calm, and I loved it.

I got coffee, eggs, homefries and toast for only about $7, which is less than I pay even where I’m from.

The food was honestly perfect, especially the homefries. They were cooked just right so they were a little soft but still had some texture to them.

The coffee was surprisingly good, as well, and in constant supply.

The staff was friendly and efficient, and the wait time was much shorter than I expected.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the food and ambiance of Dominick’s.

I will absolutely be going back soon to try something new.

If you’re looking for something fast, inexpensive and delicious, Dominick’s is definitely a name you should add to your list of gotos.

Check back in to see what hidden gems Erie has to offer and be sure to check out last week’s paper featuring Andora’s Bubble Tea shop.