LiveArts Grand Rapids ~ 4/24/15

This was a one-of-a-kind, monumental event last night in the Van Andel arena, which is more at home to rock concerts and hockey games. Sometimes the light show made us feel like we were at a rock concert, however :-)

Grand Rapids Symphony, Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, Opera Grand Rapids, Broadway Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Chamber Chorus, Community Youth Chorus, marching bands from East Kentwood and Grandville High Schools, Grand Rapids Ballet and Junior Ballet all came together for this powerful performance. We waited a few minutes for things to begin.

There was a strange little storyline going on throughout the show with a would-be cellist and his two young backpacked companions, something about following your dreams but it seemed weird and forced, and unnecessary.

David Lockington will be playing his swan song to Grand Rapids in a few weeks (the cellist here also played The Swan by Saint-Saens) and it was great to see him so invested in this performance.

Did I mention the lights?

We spotted our friend, Walter, who is a member of Opera Grand Rapids.

The ballet was nicely choreographed for the most part and sometimes enhanced the musical performances.

Intermission took place at 9pm, about 50 minutes after the concert began. The second half opened with a flourish ~ marching band members situated and playing from every aisle, and the youth chorus marching throughout the arena waving and winding their way back to their just right and left of the stage reserved seats.

As the youth chorus slowly filed back into their seats and the entire company performed the astounding "I Will Rise" by Sean Ivory, complete with arm choreography, we were struck by how white the waving arms of the youth chorus members were. Not much diversity there. The piece itself was incredible, complete with additional percussionists and the text flashed on screens.

In the Hall of the Mountain King, played by the Youth Symphony with the dances performed by the Junior Ballet company, was pretty great and more effective than earlier numbers by the ballet pros. But the Youth Symphony didn't fare as well when playing in tandem with the GR Symphony on Beethoven's Ninth. Varineau was conducting looking at Lockington's back and they didn't pull it together until the finale when Lockington turned around and they conducted together for the final moments.

Carmina Burana, sung, played, and danced to, was fabulous. The opera singers and selections from Tosca were top notch, as were the Broadway singers who performed tunes from Phantom of the Opera. The Youth Symphony sounded excellent and so professional when playing a Stravinsky piece on their own (Berceuse & Finale from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite?). Just a few sour notes here and there reminded us that this wasn't the GR Symphony.

The entire concert was a mostly tight performance but started 10 minutes late, took about a 20 minute intermission and was finished promptly at 10pm. Lockington took his bows and quickly left the stage. There was no interest in an encore or additional bows.

But do you think we could get a program, listing performers and performances? Nowhere to be found. We saw a few people holding them but apparently they printed a dozen or so and called it good. The titles were briefly posted on the screens above but that's really not good enough. We know the programs were sparse because we could not find one anywhere on the way out and usually they are strewn on the floors and in the trash barrels (yes, we looked). Here's hoping this becomes an annual event but with more programs, please!

A few seconds of Superman! 

Grand Rapids Symphony - 11/22/14

We were disappointed that David Lockington would not be here (because we love him) but were overall quite taken with the guest conductor, Andrew Grams, by the time the concert was over. He walked out with his left arm bent at his waist with his fist clenched, his baton in his right hand. He was animated, dramatic, and altogether fun to watch (stock photo).

A few comments about the music. Brahms wrote only one violin concerto and he wrote it for a friend of his. And apparently (obviously?) he composed it to show off the skills of his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim (on the right).

 

Technically, it is superb. One can hear glimpses of Brahms in the orchestra but the solo part is all technique, especially in the first movement. (Listen to his symphonies if you want to hear the beauty of Brahms.) And yes, violinist Augustin Hadelich is incredible, as he proved again during his encore, flawlessly performing Paganini's Caprice No. 5, a technical and impressive masterly performance. He has his own amazing back story, coming back from a serious burn at age 15 that threatened his future as a violinist (stock photo). But comparing this concerto to Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D (recently read in a review) doesn't work for me, as the latter is stunningly beautiful and the former is just technical to my ears. It's nothing against Hadelich because I'm pretty sure he can play anything, beautifully and perfectly.

The second work of the night was Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. It was interesting to hear individual instruments/sections highlighted and it was impressive overall but again, we were not swept away. I'm sure this is sacrilege to fans of the composition, but other than parts of the fourth and fifth movements, it all seemed somewhat randomly constructed.

Some music can bring you to tears just through its sheer beauty, but tonight was not that night. It was technically amazing but it did not touch our souls.

Grand Rapids Symphony - 11/20/10

The evening began with Ritirate notturna di Madrid, by Boccherini (1743-1805), arranged by modern composer Luciana Berio (1925-2003). It was a charming, short piece with little evidence of Berio’s modern work.  The program notes were very informative in explaining Boccherini’s intention of portraying an approaching, and then departing, band on a street in Madrid.

Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1 was composed as one movement, and although it was fast-paced, the various sections were easily discernable. Although it had its moments of beauty and interesting instrumentation layering, it was our least favorite of the evening.

The highlight of the evening was Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. The music is incredibly  dramatic and used to that effect in various movies. Probably everyone in the world has heard the opening “O Fortuna.” Text and translation were provided in a separate 4 page insert and the noise of paper rustling was disconcerting at times. If one is unfamiliar with the text, the issue becomes whether to follow along with the translations or to sit back and wrap yourself in the music. It’s a difficult call.

By not following along or not knowing the text, one might wonder at the shrill, grating solo by Brad Diamond (Oh, you’re a swan being roasted; in that case, well done.) One would also miss the ribaldry and humor of the poems.

The other two soloists had much bigger roles to play. Carrie Hennessey sang beautifully with her smooth, soprano voice, but Aaron St Clair Nicholson was the star of the night. His baritone range was extensive and each solo was expressively performed. There were a few times, however, when the chorus seemed to be overwhelming him.

The Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus was very powerful yet so controlled. There was never a voice hanging on after a cut-off and the performance was extraordinary. Occasionally throughout the work, the Grand Rapids Youth Chorus rose to play their part in the performance. At the conclusion, Music Director David Lockington looked quite pleased, and the audience was as well.