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Orchestra is treasure on many great levels
(by Lauri Gross - February 29, 2012)
VITAL TRIFLE, BY LAURI GROSS
Orchestra is treasure on many great levels
What do you get when you cross the Cleveland Orchestra with Randy Newman? That's exactly what we wanted to know when my husband and I bought tickets to see the singer-songwriter-composer perform some of his most beloved pieces at Severance Hall in December. The answer is: a really great show.
We bought tickets only a few days before show time, and it was nearly sold out, but I snagged two seats in the fourth row of the center orchestra section, so we were about as close as you could get.
The orchestra concert with Randy Newman was the first in the Cleveland Orchestra's 2011-12 season of celebrity series concerts. I agree with a statement by the orchestra's executive director, Gary Hanson, as stated in the program for the evening: "This series of musical celebrities demonstrates the orchestra's adaptability, diversity and commitment to playing more music for more people in new and different ways."
Plus, like on all similar outings with my husband, I buy a candy bar, and he buys a glass of wine, so I knew I would at least get some chocolate, even if the show wasn't so great. But it was!
Mr. Newman is nearly 70, but his iconic voice still packs the same punch as when he drew attention for "Short People" in 1978, along with a slew of other memorable songs and movie scores. His debut album came out in 1968.
With a lifetime of work to choose from, Mr. Newman chose a song list for Severance Hall that included "Birmingham," which includes my husband's favorite line about Dan, "the meanest dog in Alabam'," "Dayton, Ohio -- 1903," "You've Got a Friend in Me" from "Toy Story," "Burn On" and many more.
For most of the songs, a few sections of the orchestra accompanied Mr. Newman, who played the piano. For some, the orchestra remained quiet. And for others, when the show included selections from some of the many film scores Mr. Newman composed, the entire orchestra played while Mr. Newman conducted.
The show was beautiful and memorable but also hilarious.
Mr. Newman told plenty of stories between songs, sometimes elaborating on the meaning of a piece or sharing his inspiration for writing one. He explained that his song, "The World Isn't Fair," is about how impressed he and his wife were when they attended the preschool orientation for one of their kids. "And," he added, "I threw in the reason for the failure of Marxism." Who knew?
He graciously lavished praise on the Cleveland Orchestra and said, among other things, how each performer has spent thousands of hours alone in a room to get good at what they do. After a reverent pause, he added, "Snipers do that too."
He talked about his family and explained that he has three sons and a daughter, who is the youngest. He recounted his wife saying, "If we had had the girl first, I would have thought the boys were retarded." He just kept slinging them.
In the audience, we spotted a few of our daughter's high school classmates and also our cousin Tom up in the balcony, making the evening even more of a shared community event.
Our first experience with the Cleveland Orchestra was when we attended several of their Musical Rainbow programs when our kids were little, shortly after we moved to the area. These half-hour programs are geared for kids age 3 to 6 and include plenty of opportunities to sing along, clap along and participate in other ways as Cleveland Orchestra musicians introduce little ones to their instruments.
Our Musical Rainbow outings always included a stop at the gift store, where our kids would each choose a tiny wooden instrument in a tiny velvet-lined case. We now display these with our Christmas decorations, and some hang as ornaments from our Christmas tree each December.
During the Randy Newman show, I spotted a couple orchestra members whom I recall putting on Musical Rainbow programs years ago.
When the kids outgrew Musical Rainbows, we attended a few family concerts at Severance Hall. These are geared for kids age 7 and up and include more theatrics, with costumes, a theme and other surprises.
Later, my husband and I attended a few actual grown-up performances of the orchestra. We'd sit in a box seat in the balcony that belonged to my in-laws, who were season ticket holders for decades. On the rare occasion they were unable to attend, we sometimes attended in their place. These were always fun evenings out, and we enjoyed the music, but I have to admit, sometimes I would doze off. Inevitably, when the music grew to a thundering crescendo, I'd startle awake and think, "Yeesh, can't they play any quieter? Don't they know I'm trying to sleep?"
So perhaps sitting in the fourth row for the debut of the Cleveland Orchestra celebrity series was the best it can get for me. It certainly didn't put me to sleep. It kept me laughing. It taught me something about Marxism. It left me with fun songs in my head for days. And I did got that chocolate bar too.
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