LYRIC THEATRE
BALTIMORE, MD
December 22, 2011
After attending an Irish Tenors concert last Christmas I swore to never
return. However, after reading a few reviews, my travel plans changed.
I decided to go to the concert at the Baltimore Lyric Opera House on
December 22 if I could get a good seat. There was a 3rd row seat
available and I purchased it. This venue holds about 2500 and it looked
to be about 3/4 full. I don't think the Tenors have been to Baltimore in
recent years and the attending crowd seem to really appreciate the
opportunity to see them again.
For me, there were a couple of highlights to the evening, both occurring
in the first quarter of the concert. The first was Finbar singing When
You Were Sweet Sixteen. He introduced the song as the writer's
response to the question of his wife of many decades asking if he
still loved her. He sang the song so tenderly and lovingly that I could
picture the old man singing to his wife of how she looked at 16 and
how much he had loved her since - and it brought tears to my eyes.
Finbar never disappoints. His voice is so rich and beautiful and he brings
so much of himself into it that he just pulls you into the song (the X factor!).
His Cork accent is lovely and his song introductions are always
interesting and amusing. He drew the most applause of the evening
when he sang How Great Thou Art.
The 2nd highlight was the trio singing Ellis Island, sounding like the
Tenors of 10 years ago. There was some harmonizing (maybe the
only song of the evening). When I closed my eyes I could see them
(oh that darling Anthony!) and hear the potential and the vocal power
they had when they stood on the Ellis Island stage those many years ago.
If only we could turn back the clock.
The rest of the evening was pleasant, but not quite at the same
level as the 1st quarter. This trio of Tenors sounds much better
when they sing separate verses or solos because when they sing in
unison one of them is often singing 2 words behind the others.
Anthony sang as usual at a superstar level, getting a lot of applause
for both Palatine's Daughter and Ave Maria. Ronan sang the song
Hallelujah well, though didn't explain the connection this song has
with Ireland or Christmas. But it's a lovely, dramatic song and
one popular with American Idol contestants.
There was not as much 'high humor' as described in other concerts
and I was thankful for that. They are better singers than comedians
and for me the humor sometimes borders on juvenile. Pointing to
a "naughty or nice" Tenor is cute; flapping your coat while another
Tenor sings is not. Focusing on singing rather than playing it for
laughs will bring enthusiastic applause without having to ask for it.
But they have improved significantly over last Christmas and here's
hoping they continue that trend.
Gail Clevenger
by Gail Clevenger
