The subtle yet quick tempo will make you want to stand up and move your feet. The exquisite intricacies of the outstanding guitar solos will make you pause and realize this moment is special and not something you are likely to forget. The flamenco style rock is extremely catchy and Nicolas Reyes singing sounds better than ever. Listing to the Gipsy Kings live is to behold.
I’m sure that title has been used before, but she lives up to it each and every time! Idina Menzel came to Wolf Trap over the weekend and shared a very special night with the NSO and the audience.
The night after Idina Menzel performed with the NSO, they took the stage again, for their final concert at The Filene Center, this summer. This is the same idea as “The Wizard of Oz” from earlier in the season. The NSO plays all of the music for the musical, as the movie is shown on the large screens for the in-house seats and the lawn. It’s a fantastic date night! There were people of all ages there and a lot who had never seen the whole movie before. Conductor, Emil de Cou makes it more entertaining. Have you ever read his notes in the playbill? He’s very amusing!
The Happy Together Tour took on The Filene Center at Wolf Trap last Sunday and we all had so much fun! This tour combines a lot of elements that make for a great concert. There are different bands that take part every year, but it’s always a combination of rock groups from the 1960’s and 1970’s. This year’s show included, The Buckinghams, The Grass Roots, Gary Puckett, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, and The Turtles.
I should do better homework, but when I heard that the NSO would be performing selections to back-up a movie that NASA has sanctioned, I thought there was no need for homework…I was wrong! Emil de Cou conducts brilliantly, as usual, and the NSO plays to their usual perfection, BUT it was not what I was expecting!
The sun was setting and the audience was assembling. A calm but yet exciting ambience filled the air as members of the National Symphony Orchestra made their final preparations. The lights dimmed and Eimear Noone was introduced as this evening’s conductor and she was more than well received. The overture was incredible. It was exciting and brought back found memories of sensuous bliss recounting my early childhood days intently playing the 8-bit masterpiece the Legend of Zelda. The orchestral arrangements of Koji Kondo’s original themes sent shivers down my spine. It was masterfully prepared. Eimear Noone conducted with flare the overture was intense and heart pounding.
The first ever Summerland Tour rocked Wolf Trap on Wednesday night. A sold out crowd packed every square inch of lawn and seats at The Filene Center and partied until curfew! Because Wolf trap is a National Park and in a neighborhood, there is a curfew for the sound, but I have a feeling that if these guys could have rocked all night, they would have!!
I will start by saying that I am an Ingrid Michaelson fan, so I wanted to see her live because the acoustic versions of her songs are my favorite. As far as Rufus Wainwright, I am familiar with his cool tone from his version of “Hallelujah” that was used on the soundtrack of “Shrek”. It was interesting to me that Ingrid kept saying that she was grateful that she was “opening” for Wainwright and he, in turn said the same thing when he came. But this was a split-billing, meaning that the artists share equal billing and could essentially trade places any performance.
Johnny Mathis delighted fans at Wolf Trap last Friday with a beautiful trip down memory lane. Though his 76 years young, his voice is still the velvet that it has always been. Not a note or bit of feeling was out of place.
Marvin Hamlisch along with two special guests, Kevin Cole and Melissa Errico delighted the Wolf Trap audience last Friday night, with the NSO and an evening of Gershwin. The weather was lovely and their infectious spirits and amazing talents, made for a superior evening. This was my third time seeing Mr. Hamlisch in this type of format and he never falters. He is an accomplished composer, multiple Oscar winner, multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Golden Globes winner and even receiving a Tony and Pulitzer Prize for his triumphant “A Chorus Line”! I could write this review and tell you every interesting thing about Hamlisch and I’d have paragraph after paragraph of one of the most amazing careers and lives in history. He truly is an amazing man and everyone should get to witness his talents!
