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Nero And The Pops Accompanied By 'Visions Of America'
By Dave Allen, For the Bulletin
It didn’t seem possible, but Peter Nero has been upstaged. At Wednesday night’s performance of “Visions of America,” a post-inaugural assemblage of patriotic tunes, the Philly Pops’ larger-than-life director had to play second fiddle to a giant projection screen above the stage.
The screen was in place for a photo montage of famous sites and diverse faces by Joseph Sohm that accompanied an hour-long symphonic suite, also titled Visions of America. Clint Eastwood voiced the narration — a major coup — and Roger Kellaway penned the tunes for a breezy, uncomplicated romp across the country. The procession of images ruled the night, dwarfing Mr. Nero and the orchestra as they spun through a variety of styles.
Except for a few strains of “Hail to the Chief,” the music is all original but still familiar, designed to invoke both the United States and some of its most famous composers. Echoes of John Williams and Rodgers and Hammerstein cropped up as images of open roads and rolling plains floated by, and the orchestra played in a wide range of idioms — light swing, meandering blues, bustling urban counterpoint — with unified ease.
Even in more clearly derivative sections — many of the folksy, vigorous figures borrowed heavily from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo” — the orchestra had a clean, energetic approach, with several lovely solos from the oboe, English horn, clarinet and soprano sax.
Mr. Sohm’s photos were less consistent in their quality. Many landscapes and skylines were captured artfully, but a few images were animated in a way that detracted from their integrity. An American flag manipulated to appear waving in the breeze and a Native American “shaking” a rattle had an aura that was worse than cheesy. In a presentation that purported to show the heart of the nation, they seemed untrue.
The images eventually took a back seat to guest vocalist Patti Austin, who owned the stage during her two numbers. In “To the Eyes of a Star” and “We the People,” she delivered Alan and Marilyn Bergman’s lyrics with power and finesse and without histrionics. Standing straight with fingers laced, Ms. Austin swooped and soared in her singing rather than through her movements.
Free of images zooming overhead, the program’s second half was even stronger musically. The orchestra tackled the jaunty rhythms and fluid motion of Bernstein’s music from West Side Story and On the Town with impressive zeal. Mr. Nero cited Bernstein and George Gershwin as great “crossover” composers — ones who worked in classical-style repertoire as well in more pop-like styles and for Broadway — and this hybrid strain was palpable in Mr. Nero’s arrangement of the second of Gershwin’s Three Preludes. The original piano piece, a kind of blues lullaby, was recast as a work for cello and orchestra, with Uli Boeckheler playing mournfully over a broad, sashaying backdrop.
As fine as Mr. Boeckheler’s solo was, it might have been nice to hear Mr. Nero take it for a spin at the piano. The concert as a whole hardly featured Mr. Nero except for one improvised piece, a bluesy duel with Mr. Kellaway during the first half. Their faceoff was dashing and spirited with no clear winner, though Mr. Nero did give up his seat at the keys to Mr. Kellaway during the second half.
You might wish Mr. Nero spent a little more time at the piano, but “Visions of America” is still a pleasant midwinter pick-me-up with an even wider variety than the music from last week’s inauguration. It’s all in the service of something bigger — bigger than any single state or president, even bigger than Mr. Nero’s outsize personality.
Dave Allen can be reached at dgallen01@gmail.com
The screen was in place for a photo montage of famous sites and diverse faces by Joseph Sohm that accompanied an hour-long symphonic suite, also titled Visions of America. Clint Eastwood voiced the narration — a major coup — and Roger Kellaway penned the tunes for a breezy, uncomplicated romp across the country. The procession of images ruled the night, dwarfing Mr. Nero and the orchestra as they spun through a variety of styles.
Except for a few strains of “Hail to the Chief,” the music is all original but still familiar, designed to invoke both the United States and some of its most famous composers. Echoes of John Williams and Rodgers and Hammerstein cropped up as images of open roads and rolling plains floated by, and the orchestra played in a wide range of idioms — light swing, meandering blues, bustling urban counterpoint — with unified ease.
Even in more clearly derivative sections — many of the folksy, vigorous figures borrowed heavily from Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo” — the orchestra had a clean, energetic approach, with several lovely solos from the oboe, English horn, clarinet and soprano sax.
Mr. Sohm’s photos were less consistent in their quality. Many landscapes and skylines were captured artfully, but a few images were animated in a way that detracted from their integrity. An American flag manipulated to appear waving in the breeze and a Native American “shaking” a rattle had an aura that was worse than cheesy. In a presentation that purported to show the heart of the nation, they seemed untrue.
The images eventually took a back seat to guest vocalist Patti Austin, who owned the stage during her two numbers. In “To the Eyes of a Star” and “We the People,” she delivered Alan and Marilyn Bergman’s lyrics with power and finesse and without histrionics. Standing straight with fingers laced, Ms. Austin swooped and soared in her singing rather than through her movements.
Free of images zooming overhead, the program’s second half was even stronger musically. The orchestra tackled the jaunty rhythms and fluid motion of Bernstein’s music from West Side Story and On the Town with impressive zeal. Mr. Nero cited Bernstein and George Gershwin as great “crossover” composers — ones who worked in classical-style repertoire as well in more pop-like styles and for Broadway — and this hybrid strain was palpable in Mr. Nero’s arrangement of the second of Gershwin’s Three Preludes. The original piano piece, a kind of blues lullaby, was recast as a work for cello and orchestra, with Uli Boeckheler playing mournfully over a broad, sashaying backdrop.
As fine as Mr. Boeckheler’s solo was, it might have been nice to hear Mr. Nero take it for a spin at the piano. The concert as a whole hardly featured Mr. Nero except for one improvised piece, a bluesy duel with Mr. Kellaway during the first half. Their faceoff was dashing and spirited with no clear winner, though Mr. Nero did give up his seat at the keys to Mr. Kellaway during the second half.
You might wish Mr. Nero spent a little more time at the piano, but “Visions of America” is still a pleasant midwinter pick-me-up with an even wider variety than the music from last week’s inauguration. It’s all in the service of something bigger — bigger than any single state or president, even bigger than Mr. Nero’s outsize personality.
Dave Allen can be reached at dgallen01@gmail.com
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