Orli Shaham Plays Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2

I couldn't attend the Utah Symphony concert on Friday night because of a family responsibility but I was able to exchange my ticket for the same program last night and I am so glad I did because it was amazing!  The orchestra began with the Prelude and "Liebestod" from the opera Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner.  I have never seen this opera before but I found the music to be incredibly dramatic, especially in the "Liebestod" when the intensity builds and builds until Tristan and Isolde are reunited in death.  I particularly loved the harp at the conclusion.  Next, the orchestra was joined by pianist Orli Shaham for Frederic Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 and I absolutely loved this piece!  I especially loved the second movement because it is unbelievably lyrical and romantic!  It is believed that Chopin was inspired by Konstancja Gladkowska, a fellow student at the conservatory he attended in Warsaw for whom he pined but could not work up the courage to speak to, for this movement.  Shaham gave a dazzling performance and I loved the rapport that she seemed to have with the orchestra.  She received a well-deserved standing ovation and then performed a lovely encore (I didn't recognize the piece she played but it was beautiful).  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 7 by Antonin Dvorak.  The Czech composer wanted to write a symphony that would rival those composed by Germans so that Austrian Germans would acknowledge Czechs as their equals (there were rising ethnic tensions in Austria-Hungary during the late 1800s) and this piece is very stirring.  I especially loved the third movement because it features a Czech folk dance that is repeated by several different instruments.  I enjoyed this concert immensely and it was much needed after a long week!

Note:  The last time I exchanged my ticket for another performance the cute ladies who sit by me wondered where I was and told me they missed me!  I hope they weren't worried!

A Kurt Bestor Christmas at the Eccles

I have attended Kurt Bestor's annual Christmas concert many times over the years and, when last year's concert was canceled, I really missed it.  When this year's concert was announced I bought a ticket immediately and I've been looking forward to it ever since.  I love hearing Christmas music performed live and the concert last night was wonderful!  Bestor began with "Let It Snow" which was very appropriate considering the snowstorm we had in SLC yesterday (it was a lot of fun driving to the Eccles Theatre from my house).  He continued with "Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella" which is one of my favorites because I sang it in choir in college.  He performed a beautiful rendition of "Still, Still, Still" on flugelhorn which he dedicated to his father.  He continued with an arrangement called "Christmas Cubanismo" which featured a Latin beat and this got the audience dancing in their seats!  The special guest for this concert was Alex Boye and he came out to perform "Christmas Time Is Here" and I loved his rendition of this song.  Next came "The Coventry Carol" and then "Sing We Noel" in which each section of Bestor's band was featured as he introduced them.  The first set concluded with "Prayer for the Children," one of Bestor's best-known songs, featuring vocalists from the One Voice Children's Choir.  It was really lovely and it brought a tear to my eye as it always does.  After the intermission he performed arrangements of "Carol of the Bells" and "What Child is This."  Then he performed another one of my favorite Christmas songs, "In the Bleak Midwinter."  My favorite version of this song is Sarah McLachlan's but Bestor's arrangement was also really beautiful.  Boye returned to the stage for a rousing rendition of "Go Tell it on the Mountain" which basically turned the Eccles Theatre into an old time gospel revival!  Then Boye performed an original Christmas song called "Newborn" and I really loved this, especially the African drums!  He continued with "I Pray on Christmas" and his moves rivaled those of James Brown!  It is just not Christmas until I hear "O Holy Night" performed live and Bestor played the flugelhorn on a lovely arrangement that gave me goosebumps!  He continued with a really cool Celtic version of "Ding Dong Merrily on High" featuring his concert master on fiddle.  It is a tradition at Bestor's Christmas concerts to have an audience member read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas while he performs his amusing accompaniment but this year, because of Covid, he had Boye read it and to say that it was entertaining would be an understatement!  I laughed and laughed at his antics!  Bestor concluded the concert with "Joy to the World" and had Boye return to sing a stirring rendition of "Silent Night."  There is just something about Christmas music that makes me happy so, of course, I really loved this concert!  Bestor's music is always beautiful but last night he seemed delighted to be back in front of an audience and was especially charming so I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the remaining shows (go here) because this might be his best concert yet!

C'mon C'mon

As a big fan of Joaquin Phoenix, I was really excited to finally have the opportunity to see C'mon C'mon last night.  It took me some time to get fully on board with the vibe of the narrative but, once I did, I found it to be an incredibly moving story about what kids can teach adults and how adults can help the kids in their lives.  Johnny (Phoenix) is a radio personality who is currently traveling around the country interviewing children about their views on the state of the world and their future place in it.  He receives an unexpected call from his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffman), from whom he is somewhat estranged, with a request to watch her nine-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman) while she travels to care for Jesse's father Paul (Scoot McNairy) who is having a mental breakdown.  Johnny is completely unprepared to care for such a precocious and imaginative child and, even though he makes his living asking questions, he becomes uncomfortable when Jesse asks him pointed questions about his personal life.  They eventually form a bond and, through their relationship with each other, Johnny is able to process his emotions and forge a reconciliation with his sister and Jesse is able to express his fears for his father.  As I mentioned, the pacing is incredibly slow (it almost feels like a documentary about a family) and there were times when my mind wandered a bit until I suddenly became completely invested in the characters during one particular moment (it mirrored an experience I had with my own nephew).  Once I finally figured out the concept (and it is a very low concept film), I basically fell in love with it.  Phoenix gives such a warmhearted performance and his chemistry with Norman, who is extraordinary, feels really honest and natural.  At first I found the black and white cinematography to be a bit hazy and out of focus but I eventually realized that it represents the way in which children might view the world so it is highly effective and I loved the use of ambient sound.  I also really enjoyed the integration of Johnny's interviews with the children.  Not a lot happens but this is a beautiful film about human connection and it is one that I definitely want to watch again.

Elf The Musical at PTC

Last night I went to see Elf The Musical at Pioneer Theatre and it gave me another big dose of Christmas cheer!  This musical is based on the popular movie starring Will Ferrell and it is a lot of fun.  Buddy (Max Chernin) has been raised as an elf at the North Pole because he crawled into Santa's bag when he was a baby.  After discovering that he is really a human instead of an elf, he decides to travel to New York City to find his Dad, Walter Hobbs (Christopher Gurr), and he ends up bringing Christmas cheer to his new family, his new girlfriend Jovie (Antoinette Comer), and all of the people of New York City.  The choreography is fantastic and I especially enjoyed "Happy All The Time" as the elves at the North Pole make the toys for Santa, "Sparklejollytwinklejingley" as Buddy helps the tap dancing employees at Macy's decorate the store, and "A Christmas Song" as Buddy takes Jovie ice skating in front of Rockefeller Plaza (it is really clever how this is staged).  I also liked having a curmudgeonly Santa Claus (Jason Simon) narrate the story as if he was reading from a book while sitting in an arm chair.  He was the source of much amusement with lots of fun references to popular culture.  Chernin is really endearing as Buddy and I loved his exuberance in "Just Like Him."  Comer is also strong as Jovie and I liked that she showed a bit of vulnerability in "Never Fall In Love (With An Elf)."  However, my favorite performances were by Mary Fanning Driggs as Emily Hobbs and Grant Westcott as Michael Hobbs.  Their voices blended really well together in the songs "I'll Believe In You" and "There Is A Santa Claus."  The costumes for Santa, Buddy, the elves at the North Pole, and the employees at Macy's are elaborate and colorful and the sets, which look like they are inside of a giant snow globe, are impressive.  I also noticed the lighting design (which doesn't always catch my attention) because it is used very effectively to create shadows and outlines to tell the story.  You would have to be a cotton-headed ninny-muggins not to enjoy this production and I recommend it for the whole family.  It runs at PTC through December 18 (go here for tickets).

Ballet West's The Nutcracker 2021

One of my favorite holiday traditions is attending Ballet West's annual production of The Nutcracker.  I had the opportunity to see it last night and I think it was even more magical than usual (probably because I missed it so much last year).  I love everything about this ballet and I await every scene with great anticipation, especially the party scene where the Christmas tree is revealed to all of the children and Clara is given a nutcracker by Dr. Drosselmeyer, when everything is magically transformed to an enormous size and the nutcracker defeats the Mouse King with Clara's help, when the nutcracker becomes a handsome prince and takes Clara to the land of the Snow Queen and the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and all of the various divertissements arranged for Clara's entertainment.  My favorites are the Arabian dance because it is so exotic and the Russian dance because of the sheer athleticism of the leaps and spins (this dance received the loudest applause).  My favorite scene in the entire ballet is the Grand Pas de Deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier.  The choreography is so iconic and Emily Adams and Adrian Fry danced it beautifully last night.  I love every bit of Tchaikovsky's incomparable score but the music during this dance is so romantic it gives me goosebumps (I especially love the harp).  The costumes and sets were updated a few years ago and I love the addition of the jewel tones in the party scene and the pastels in the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy (the set looks very tropical).  The young dancers in the cast are fantastic and I especially enjoyed Frtiz and all of his antics (he seemed even more mischievous than usual) and Mother Buffoon's children.  The special effects in this production are absolutely enchanting, most notably the falling snow during the Snow King and Queen's Pas de Duex (some of the flakes were really big), the fireworks after all of the divertissements, and Clara's flying sled.  No matter how many times I see this show it always puts a huge smile on my face and I definitely recommend getting a ticket.  There are evening and matinee performances at the Capitol Theater through December 26 (go here for tickets).