The Northbrook Symphony joined forces with the Northbrook
Park District,
which sponsors the Northbrook Community Choir, on Sunday afternoon,
December 2, in the grand and glorious Techny Towers chapel for a
concert of seasonal music.
The space is really quite awesome, as resplendent and ornate a cathedral
as you are likely to find anywhere in the area. Its acoustics are also well-known,
with a reverberation time at about 7 seconds---which means that the space is
very reverberant and "live"; the final "pow" at the end of the Nutcracker
"Russian Dance" sounded like a sonic boom during rehearsals, but with a
FULL house (and yes, the concert was sold out and required extra seating installed
in the upper galleries), the sound was more contained, but lost nothing of its
power and depth; the audience reacted with great enthusiasm.
-----------------------------
A concert of Christmas/holiday music is something very special for me;
I select music that has some spiritual and/or sentimental element, and approach
the task it with care, respect, and a certain sense of reverence.
Some years ago, I was called in to program and conduct a pair of Christmas
concerts for a professional orchestra in the area, and was asked to "retool" their
typical concert format into something new. I did. Gone were the slick
arrangements that resemble shopping mall music, gone was the obligatory
visit from Santa clomping down the main aisle with his sack full of lame jokes,
gone were the typical popular sing-alongs ..... we did do a few singalongs
during the concert, but they were arrangements of sacred carols that I had
obtained especially from St Olaf's in Minnesota, where their annual Christmas
concerts are legendary. EVERY piece was chosen because of its personal
story, its warmth, its uplifting and sentimental value...something which was
unheard of in the standard orchestra "pops" routine.
The concert was a HUGE success; to this day, I still run into people who
say "that concert was truly special, unlike anything I've heard since." (it took
place, I think, 16 years ago). And I have found that in every similar concert
experience since then, the reaction been pretty much the same.
This is not idle boasting. My point is that I believe that what most audiences
really want is that rare opportunity to escape from the hassles and hectic
pace of their lives and find that special place where, for two hours, they
can share the warmth, the spirituality, and the sense of love and reverence
for the music of the season which, after all, reaches back into our youth...into
happier, more innocent times. And if the atmosphere and tone of the concert
are just right, that old magic is re-awakened and joins us together--
ALL of us--performers and audience alike.
I believe we achieved that sort of magic on December 2nd, aided in no small
part by the magnificent surroundings of Techny chapel; in fact, the space
demands that sort of respectful approach to both music and listener.
I cannot say enough about the superb performance of the Northbrook Symphony;
the sense of commitment and passion with which they approached Leroy
Anderson's "Christmas Festival" and the Holcombe "Festive Sounds of
Hanukkah" rivaled anything that we have achieved in performing the classic
masterworks of the repertoire. It might sound silly, but it's true. The reason?
I'm not sure, other than to say that if the music touches the human spirit
like these iconic traditional songs do, true musicians will sense it and put their
heart and soul into it.
The audience response clearly indicated that the power and splendor of the
music was amply conveyed. Even the three familiar dances from Tchaikovsky's
"Nutcracker" took on a new life, as the delicate, almost "mystical" sounds
of the Sugar-Plum Fairy and Arabian Dance echoed through the vast, reveberant
space surrounding all of us.
The NSO was also joined by the Northbrook Community Chorus and a number
of guest singers from area churches, performing seasonal music both new and
old.....all of it (except for one number) of an uplifting, spiritual nature. The
choruses delivered all that was asked of them (and believe me, I asked for the
MAX!) with the final, grandiose, fanfare and bell-ringing of "The Awakening"
bringing the performance to a stunning and rousing conclusion.
Again, my heartfelt congratulations to all of the performers, but especially to
my colleagues in the NSO, whose dedication and brilliance continues to
elevate all of our concerts--- popular or "serious"--- to new levels of
excellence.
Have a warm and wonderful Holiday season.
Larry R
which sponsors the Northbrook Community Choir, on Sunday afternoon,
December 2, in the grand and glorious Techny Towers chapel for a
concert of seasonal music.
The space is really quite awesome, as resplendent and ornate a cathedral
as you are likely to find anywhere in the area. Its acoustics are also well-known,
with a reverberation time at about 7 seconds---which means that the space is
very reverberant and "live"; the final "pow" at the end of the Nutcracker
"Russian Dance" sounded like a sonic boom during rehearsals, but with a
FULL house (and yes, the concert was sold out and required extra seating installed
in the upper galleries), the sound was more contained, but lost nothing of its
power and depth; the audience reacted with great enthusiasm.
-----------------------------
A concert of Christmas/holiday music is something very special for me;
I select music that has some spiritual and/or sentimental element, and approach
the task it with care, respect, and a certain sense of reverence.
Some years ago, I was called in to program and conduct a pair of Christmas
concerts for a professional orchestra in the area, and was asked to "retool" their
typical concert format into something new. I did. Gone were the slick
arrangements that resemble shopping mall music, gone was the obligatory
visit from Santa clomping down the main aisle with his sack full of lame jokes,
gone were the typical popular sing-alongs ..... we did do a few singalongs
during the concert, but they were arrangements of sacred carols that I had
obtained especially from St Olaf's in Minnesota, where their annual Christmas
concerts are legendary. EVERY piece was chosen because of its personal
story, its warmth, its uplifting and sentimental value...something which was
unheard of in the standard orchestra "pops" routine.
The concert was a HUGE success; to this day, I still run into people who
say "that concert was truly special, unlike anything I've heard since." (it took
place, I think, 16 years ago). And I have found that in every similar concert
experience since then, the reaction been pretty much the same.
This is not idle boasting. My point is that I believe that what most audiences
really want is that rare opportunity to escape from the hassles and hectic
pace of their lives and find that special place where, for two hours, they
can share the warmth, the spirituality, and the sense of love and reverence
for the music of the season which, after all, reaches back into our youth...into
happier, more innocent times. And if the atmosphere and tone of the concert
are just right, that old magic is re-awakened and joins us together--
ALL of us--performers and audience alike.
I believe we achieved that sort of magic on December 2nd, aided in no small
part by the magnificent surroundings of Techny chapel; in fact, the space
demands that sort of respectful approach to both music and listener.
I cannot say enough about the superb performance of the Northbrook Symphony;
the sense of commitment and passion with which they approached Leroy
Anderson's "Christmas Festival" and the Holcombe "Festive Sounds of
Hanukkah" rivaled anything that we have achieved in performing the classic
masterworks of the repertoire. It might sound silly, but it's true. The reason?
I'm not sure, other than to say that if the music touches the human spirit
like these iconic traditional songs do, true musicians will sense it and put their
heart and soul into it.
The audience response clearly indicated that the power and splendor of the
music was amply conveyed. Even the three familiar dances from Tchaikovsky's
"Nutcracker" took on a new life, as the delicate, almost "mystical" sounds
of the Sugar-Plum Fairy and Arabian Dance echoed through the vast, reveberant
space surrounding all of us.
The NSO was also joined by the Northbrook Community Chorus and a number
of guest singers from area churches, performing seasonal music both new and
old.....all of it (except for one number) of an uplifting, spiritual nature. The
choruses delivered all that was asked of them (and believe me, I asked for the
MAX!) with the final, grandiose, fanfare and bell-ringing of "The Awakening"
bringing the performance to a stunning and rousing conclusion.
Again, my heartfelt congratulations to all of the performers, but especially to
my colleagues in the NSO, whose dedication and brilliance continues to
elevate all of our concerts--- popular or "serious"--- to new levels of
excellence.
Have a warm and wonderful Holiday season.
Larry R
