Post by Joe on Dec 5, 2016 5:39:00 GMT
HWI member Steven (fusilier23) has asked me to post his review of The American Christmas Carol performance from last Thursday:
It's been years since I did a full review of any concert I attended for a number of reasons. However, since the particular artist I went to see this past Thursday at Carnegie Hall comes to the US very rarely, I will write one for the benefit of the core of her fans I know still exists on this side of the Atlantic.
Every year NY-born, Maine-based composer-conductor Tim Janis organizes a Christmas concert at New York's Carnegie Hall as a benefit for the Golden Hat Foundation, an autism charity founded by Margret Ericsdottir, mom to an autistic son, and actress Kate Winslet, a cause somewhat close to me as an Aspergian.
I had attended once in 2012 when Hayley was last there and once more in 2013, I think. With the passing of my mother, who always enjoyed attending these events and hearing my accounts of the ones I attended, I had given the venue a rest. However, when a rare chance to see Hayley live again presented itself, I decided not to pass it up.
Directly after work I took the PATH to 33rd Street and walked up. The stores had their window displays up, the Rockefeller Center tree was ablaze with lights, and it was definitely Christmas in the City. I duly presented my ticket and was admitted to Carnegie Hall, but was told the auditorium wouldn't be open for about 20 minutes more. I went up to the museum to look around in the meantime. Lo and behold, the ghost of Christmas past appeared, in the form of Caitlin, who I had not spoken to in almost a decade. She and I did some catching up, at which point her friend Stephanie appeared, and the auditorium opened.
I was in Row G, so I had a very good view of the stage, crowded to the brim with the 80-piece Chesapeake Youth Symphony orchestra and the 300+ voice Fairfield County Children's Choir (grades 4-12). Connecticut news anchor Kevin Hogan welcomed the audience, and the show began, with energetic America's Got Talent alumnus Alex Boye (Nigerian by way of London), his backup ensemble, and ultimately the whole chorus singing David Malloy's "One Voice." From a deceptively quiet beginning it built to a thrilling wave of vocal sound that promised this would be a very good evening indeed.
I was in Row G, so I had a very good view of the stage, crowded to the brim with the 80-piece Chesapeake Youth Symphony orchestra and the 300+ voice Fairfield County Children's Choir (grades 4-12). Connecticut news anchor Kevin Hogan welcomed the audience, and the show began, with energetic America's Got Talent alumnus Alex Boye (Nigerian by way of London), his backup ensemble, and ultimately the whole chorus singing David Malloy's "One Voice." From a deceptively quiet beginning it built to a thrilling wave of vocal sound that promised this would be a very good evening indeed.
Broadway tenor (and LDS member) Dallyn Vail Bayles was next, with a strong and traditional "Angels We Have Heard on High."
After a flute and tin whistle arrangement of Appalachian carol "I Wonder as I Wander," ably handled by soloist DeMarre McGill, it was time for Hayley's suite. Kevin Hogan gave a bit of her background for those new to her, and then she entered. She wore a burnt orange tunic, black leggings and heels (though not as super high as in 2012), and a sparkling crystal hairband. She isn't quite as rail-thin as she was in 2012, but otherwise does not appear to have changed much.
Greeting the audience and saying how glad she was to be there after some travel issues better not talked about, she introduced her guitarist Tom DeLuca, who had joined her from California, and offered their cooperative effort, the phoenix-from-the-ashes ballad "Greener Lands," about a breakup and the woman moving on to find greener lands.
Promising something a bit more "festive" she moved into the traditional carol "Silent Night," with Tim Evans accompanying her on the piano. She finished her suite with the well-known "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," which she jokingly said didn't need much introduction. She wasn't done yet, though.
Tim likes to feature local kids' groups if he can, so the Broadway Youth Ensemble was next, with a Beatles medley that included "Happy Christmas," "Imagine," and "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime" with snippets of "Here Comes the Sun."
Alex returned to the stage after that, and introduced his next, more serious song as one he wrote "after a tragedy in which many people were killed for who they were." The song itself "We All Bleed the Same" was in the same vein as "Imagine," although more upbeat.
Broadway vocalist Melora Hardin was next, with the new "Come Home With Me For Christmas," written by her accompanist Ben Toth, and the venerable "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire."
Matthew Morrison, of "Glee" fame, followed with Lerner and Loewe's "On the Street Where you Live" and Cole Porter's "It's All Right With Me," before pretending to remember this was a Christmas concert and launching into the novelty "Mele Kalikimaka" about Christmas in Hawaii, complete with ukulele.
Kara DioGuardi continued the "tropical" motif with "Christmas in the Sand" which she wrote with Canadian singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat, and then it was time for Broadway soprano Sierra Boggess.
You might remember Sierra from the Phantom of the Opera, but she first shot to fame as the originator of the Little Mermaid on Broadway. She still looked the part with her mane of beautiful red hair, and her first song was, of course Ariel's aspirational "Part of Your World.". After a bit of chatter and an oblique reference to the next song being what this world needed after this year, she serenaded us with Love Never Dies" from the show of the same name, which included some operatic high notes.
Dallyn ended the Broadway part of the show with Jean Valjean's plaintive "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables, addressing it to all the families waiting for someone as well as making reference to his own young son.
Tim Janis then took the piano, together with "violinist to the stars" Caroline Campbell, a tall, statuesque beauty with long blonde hair in a head-turning goddess-style red gown, for two of his own compositions, the soaring "Wind Song" and the whirling "Rushing Wings of Dawn."
Unfortunately neither Kate Winslet, who was filming, nor Margret Ericsdottir, who is having increasing difficulties with her son's care, could be there, but Kevin Conway did read their greetings to the audience.
The religious apart of the show them began, with Melora and the American Christmas Carol Choir, composed of about four local high school choirs, in the somber "Coventry Carol."
The choir then sang the Gounod "Ave Maria," and it was Hayley and Dallyn's turn to join Tim Janis and Caroline in Janis' faith-based composition "Solid Ground," a bit reminiscent of her duet with Jonathan Ansell about how today won't come again.
Alex Boyer offered a tribal version of "Little Drummer Boy," complete with Djembe drumming, and then a rousing Swahili version of the Lord's Prayer. A hush then fell over the assembly as Tim, who is a man of faith, read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. The program ended with a huge arrangement of "O Holy Night" featuring Hayley, Alex, Dallyn, Melora and Kara, as well as both choirs. In fact both choirs had now spilled into the aisles and I was blocked in by teenage girls in black dresses with LED candles.
There the show ended, and that was plenty, since they had not broken for intermission, but a few of us were not quite done. Unfortunately no formal meet and greet was offered, probably because none of the Foundation higher ups were present, so I tramped around to the stage door in the hopes of catching Hayley. Caitlin, her friend Stephanie, Libby, Rory, and a few other strong fans waited with me.
At first it was a zoo, with chaperones and teachers trying to sort 500 kids, get them reunited with their parents, and on their way. However, eventually the crowd thinned, and the soloists began to come out. I shook hands with Dallyn and Melora and got Alex to sign the programme. Tim Janis also came out, but I didn't shake hands with him because he was loaded to the gills with equipment - I salute him for being hands on.
However, our patience was rewarded, as Hayley finally appeared, in overcoat and boots, ready to go. Thankfully the Hall people allowed us to use the little alcove beyond the stage door so we could be out of the wind. Tom DeLuca and Tim Evans were with her, but that was it.
Hayley was her usual sweet self, laid back and unflustered. Maybe some of her time in California stayed with her. She said she was surprised but glad to see all these devoted fans still waiting for her, and cheerfully signed autographs, posed for pictures, answered questions, dispensed a few hugs, and even bantered a bit about nail polish with Libby. She indicated she isn't coming to the US to stay...yet, which implies she might come to LA for a time in the future. All good things must come to an end, however, and her car service arrived, so we had to say goodbye. Hopefully she'll come back soon.
Hayley is still at the top of her game vocally, and I hope more original pieces are in the offing.
Commas sometimes go a long way, just saying. 
