Monday, July 17, 2000
Pops breaks out best of Broadway
By Nicole Hamilton
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Wanted: Musician. Experienced only. Ability to kick up heels a plus. Sense of humor a must. This is how the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra should advertise next time they have an opening.
The Pops sets high standards for their musicians (and guest artists) and proved it Saturday night at “Broadway: The First 100 Years,” in a performance that also featured the May Festival Summer Chorus, James Bagwell, director.
Pops conductor Erich Kunzel was at his best. He was both entertaining and informative.
Did you know Stephen Sondheim's first Broadway job was as a lyricist for Leonard Bernstein?
Mr. Kunzel's narratives added dimension and color to the repertoire and shed light on some old standards. But this wasn't “Broadway 101” — Mr. Kunzel never lectured, nor was he unusually chatty with the crowd.
The three soloists, soprano Kathleen Brett, tenor David Fischer and baritone Daniel Narducci, were introduced early in the evening and served as Mr. Kunzel's sidekicks.
It was as if the Pops saved the best for the last Riverbend concert of the season, as all three vocalists shined whether delivering solos, singing duets or as a trio. Their rapport with the orchestra and audience was unique and appreciated. Standing ovations after solos became commonplace, especially after Mr. Narducci's. His stirring interpretation of Jerome Kern's “Ol' Man River” from Showboat, made the ground move.
Mr. Fischer is not only a tenor, but an arranger, composer, and trumpet player. This diverse background allows him to sing both with — and within — the orchestra. In a solo from Les Miserables, a single violin his only accompaniment, Mr. Fischer's voice resonated with such purity that it evoked a few gasps from the audience.
The orchestra members kicked up their heels, as if in the cast of A Chorus Line, through all the favorites. Andrew Lloyd Webber was well represented with three selections, including “King Herod's Song” from Jesus Christ Superstar, one of the only instrumentals of the evening.
Meredith Willson's “76 Trombones” from Music Man (I was secretly hoping for that many trombonists to appear), and “Tonight” from Mr. Bernstein's West Side Story had some audience members singing like they were members of the chorus. Mother Nature even had a part in Cole Porter's rapturous “Night and Day” — the song ended just as the sun was setting.
“Walk Him Up” from Gary Geld's Purlie unleashed a powerful chorus singing an emotive African-American spiritual behind Mr. Narducci's solo.
Broadway is all about big finishes and Mr. Kunzel chose to end the evening with “Memory” from Cats. And although Mr. Narducci got ahead of the orchestra in places, the audience didn't seem to mind or notice.
What was noticed — perhaps the only true disappointment — was the absence of anything from Jonathan Larson's musical Rent — much touted as the Broadway musical of a generation. Hopefully this was because the score has not yet been made available.
Ending with the new could have brought much needed freshness to the standard Pops repertoire, as well as given even more validity to the concert's title — making it truly the first 100 years of Broadway.
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