|
|
|
|
|
Plenty of hope and glory A Night at the Proms Lichfield Garrick **** THE last night at the proms is one of the few
freedoms we have left that are untouched by the thought police and the
po-faced guardians of PC. It is a chance to be patriotic, to sing songs that
helped shape our nation and to wave our flags, Union and St George - and
the good folks of Lichfield did just that with gusto, balloons, flags,
bird calls and some lusty singing. The executive and artistic director of the Lichfield
Garrick is Adrian Jackson but his proper job, as he puts it, is
conducting and for the first time he brought his City Concert Orchestra
to the theatre for a black tie gala night. The members of the 48-strong orchestra are selected as
much for their versatility as much as their undoubted musicianship and
it showed as they ranged through show tunes, film scores, musical
theatre and the classics without missing a swing or a beat. Swing to
Strauss, musical to Mendelssohn at the drop of a baton. The first half marked the 70th anniversary of the
start of the Battle of Britain and was a tribute to the RAF with the
theme from 633 Squadron, Battle of Britain and The RAF march
ending with The Dam Busters March all introduced by the still
lovely Hannah Gordon. In between came Eric Coates' Knightsbridge March
music by Vaughan Williams and Mendelssohn and a West Side Story
medley by soprano Elizabeth MacDonald and tenor Victor Michael.
MacDonald has a powerful voice, almost too big for
the modest Lichfield stage,and she gave us a powerful O Mio
Bambino Caro from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and a soaring I
dreamed a dream from Les Miserables. Michael, a young tenor, 29 this month, has a perfect
voice for Neapolitan songs such as Funiculì, Funiculà, composed
to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount
Vesuvius in 1880 incidentally and, in the second half O Sole Mio
and showed he is a fine tenor with the duets One Hand, One Heart
and I have a love from West SIde Story. The second half was unashamedly last night of the
proms with all the old favourites Fantasia of British Sea Songs,
Nimrod, Rule Britannia, Jerusalem all ending with balloons, flag
waving, cheering and unbridled patriotism with Land of Hope and Glory.
Great entertainment. 11-09-10 Roger Clarke
|
|
|
|