Title
Review of _Heroes and Villains at the Pittsburgh Symphony
From: Roving Pittsburgher Report and PositivePittsburghLiveMagazine.com
Written By: Hank Walshak
Heroes and Villains
A Resounding Musical
Pastiche of Not-To Be Forgotten
Hollywood’s Good Guys and
Bad Guys by the PNC Pops
By
Hank Walshak
Even the most demanding
film buff had to be pleased with Heroes and Villains, Conductor Lucas
Richman’s October 18 pastiche of film-music nostalgia. OK, to be more specific,
the 18 pieces on the Heroes and Villains program carried me back to Hollywood’s
depictions of the good guys and the bad guys in films.
 |
| Lucas Richman via Pittsburgh Symphony blog |
What was not to like? The
opening piece, Rossini’s “Finale” to the William Tell Overture, launched long-forgotten
memories of that good guy, the Lone Ranger. The program’s conclusion, “The
Imperial March” by John Williams from Star Wars, recalled the frightening
presence of that bad guy, Darth Vader, from Star Wars.
Musical master, Richman,
lived up to his conducting and recording
reputation for film scores like the Academy Award nominated, The Village,
As Good As it Gets, Face/Off,
Se7en, Breakdown, The Manchurian Candidate, and Kim Kittredge:
An American Girl. In 2010, at the request of John Williams, Richman led the
three-month tour of Star Wars in Concert.
To add to our pleasure, Richman
introduced each piece and flavored his articulation with descriptions of the
many artists he‘d worked with over the years.
The PNC Pops was in
ultra-fine fiddle, if I may say so, playing a variety of musical memory rousers.
These included not-to-be-forgotten masterpieces like the “Parade of Champions”
from Ben Hur, the “Love Theme” from The Godfather, and music
highlights from Rocky. I remembered how Bernard Herrmann’s slicing and
chilling “Narrative for String Orchestra” from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
frightened me away from taking showers, but for a short time only.
 |
| Sheena Easton, vocalist |
The highpoint of Heroes and Villains came in
the presence and vocal mastery of Sheena Easton. I loved her rendition of
“Nobody Does It Better” by Marvin Hammlisch from The Spy Who Loved Me
and Bill Conti’s “For Your Eyes Only” from the movie For Your Eyes Only.
A six-time Grammy nominee in the US, Easton is a
two-time Grammy Award winner, winning Best New Artist in 1981 and Best
Mexican-American Performance in 1985, for her duet with Luis Miguel on
the song "Me Gustas Tal Como Eres". And let’s not
forget that she’s sold more than 20-million albums and singles worldwide.
“Heroes and Villains” presented
my first opportunity to listen to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Student
Chorale, whose members include young men and women vocalists in grades 10 and
12 and college singers.
What a treat it was to
hear their youthful voices interpret John Williams’s pieces—“Battle of the Heroes”
from Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and “Dry Your Tears,
Africa,” from Amistad. Under the Direction of Christine Hestwood, these
young men and women touched my heart with their professional, vocal
accompaniment.
One segment in particular
of Heroes and Villains caught my attention--the “Overture to Tarare"
by none other than Antonio Salieri, contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Before
this, I had never experienced Salieri’s music on a symphony program. Herr Mozart,
I thought, would have been amazed beyond measure had he witnessed this. Truly!
By: Hank Walshak
Good News and Cultural Reporter
Good News and Cultural Reporter
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