NOTES: The New York Pops celebrate Rodgers and Hammerstein
On Friday night at Carnegie Hall, The New York Pops orchestra revived a top-notch program from five seasons ago celebrating the revolutionary musical partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
On hand were guest vocalists, Broadway stars Max von Essen (“An American in Paris”) and Laura Michelle Kelly (“Mary Poppins”), and perennial collaborators, the Essential Voices USA chorus under the direction of Judith Clurman.
As my seatmate astutely remarked at intermission: there isn’t a weak song in the program.
Indeed, through 11 distinct collaborations in just 17 years, Rodgers and Hammerstein churned out a remarkably rich and deep oeuvre that has stood the test of time to become the backbone of the American musical theatre songbook.
Music Director and Conductor Steve Reineke curated a fantastic program featuring songs from each of those 11 collaborations presented in chronological order—from “Oklahoma!” (1943) to “The Sound of Music” (1959)—including offerings from “State Fair” (1945), their only original film score, and “Cinderella” (1957), their only work for television, alongside lesser known songs from the duo’s commercial and critical flops “Allegro” (1947), “Me and Juliet” (1953), and “Pipe Dream” (1955).
Laura Michelle Kelly (by Paul Smith) and Max von Essen
It is a treat to spend any amount of time with the inimitable words and music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, especially as played by the extraordinary musicians of the New York Pops and sung by their guest vocalists; what emerged over the course of one truly “enchanted evening” was the unmatched artistry of these musical theatre legends whose work improved on all that came before and inexorably shaped all that followed.
The orchestral highpoint of the concert was a stirring rendition of “The Carousel Waltz”—one of the most gorgeous symphonic pieces ever composed for the Broadway stage—while Mr. von Essen and Ms. Kelly took turns offering their personal interpretations of classic songs.
Mr. von Essen, in particular, shone brightly throughout the evening, his perfectly measured tenor soaring through the hall while singing the epic marathon of “Soliloquy” from “Carousel” and the romantic melody of “Some Enchanted Evening” from “South Pacific”.
For her part, Ms. Kelly, who hails from England, was spotlighted best in wittier, character-driven songs like “The Gentleman is a Dope” from “Allegro”, “A Wonderful Guy” from “South Pacific”, and “Everybody’s Got a Home but Me” from “Pipe Dream”.
It was a joy to hear “No Other Love” from “Me and Juliet”, a rarely—if ever—performed flop that is considered the most perfunctory of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s material. However, as Mr. Reineke explained, this superb song was a chart-topping hit for Perry Como. Who knew?
The substitution of the middling film titles of “Oklahoma!” for the glorious overture from the stage version, the omission of the sweeping and perfect overture from “South Pacific”, and the decision to skip the oft-overlooked “You Are Never Away” from “Allegro” were the only program notes with which I could quibble.
To close out the evening, the audience was invited to join in singing the last song Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote together, the sweet and tender ode of an imagined anthem, “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music”—followed by a rousing encore sing-along of “Do Re Mi”. It was certainly “something wonderful”!
Upcoming concerts in the Pops’ 37th season include “I’m Every Woman” on February 14th and a “Movie Night” in celebration of John Williams on March 27th, in addition to their gala honoring Kristen and Bobby Lopez on April 27th.
