Cerritosrev09 - Page: 1 of 1

This, I believe, is the fourth year in a row that the Irish Tenors have come
to the Cerritos Performing Arts Center in Cerritos, California to present a
Christmas concert to a full house. I hope they'll continue performing here
forever. When the Tenors walked onstage, Finbar opened by saying that this
was their favorite stop on their winter tour---so maybe my wish has a chance
of coming true! (Or, maybe they say that at every venue...)

We've had some rain this week, and Finbar went on to say that they brought
the rain with them from Ireland, where they have plenty to spare. We've had
a long drought here in Southern California, so their gift of Irish rain is
much appreciated.

Berta Calechman provided this website with a list of the songs the Tenors
sang on the East Coast, and they made no changes in this concert. Conductor
Eric Stern led the orchestra. Finbar, Anthony and Karl were all in fine
voice and good humor. The audience loved them and were not hesitant about
applause or rising to their feet for standing ovations.

Let's digress and talk clothes for a minute. I lucked out this concert and
had a seat in the second row, right in front of Anthony, Karl, and Finbar,
so I was able to see them up close. They looked spectacular in their cream
colored dinner jackets, white dress shirts, black bow ties and black pants.
Like Bogart in "Casablanca" or Ladd in "Calcutta", but without the cool,
tough guy demeanor and disposition. The Tenors have their own adorable
brand of "cool". In the first half, Karl unbuttoned his jacket to reveal a
black cummerbund. Finbar kept his coat unbuttoned wore a black tooled
leather belt. In the second half, Finbar came out wearing a red vest under
his jacket and Karl had changed to a red cummerbund. Anthony, however,
never once unbuttoned his jacket. So...who knows? Maybe he just wanted to
keep us guessing.

The Tenors took time to give a bit of background on their solo pieces. For
example, before singing Lagan Love, Karl explained that the Lagan is a river
in Northern Ireland. He said that according to Irish lore, Ireland itself
is thought of as a female deity, and that the rivers are all women or
goddesses. The haunting words to Lagan Love reflect this ancient and
romantic perspective. Karl took his mike off its stand and stood close to
the harp, his only accompaniment as he sang this exquisite song in his pure,
gentle voice.

Finbar introduced "When You Were Sweet Sixteen", saying that it was by James
Thornton, an Irish immigrant of the 1890's. He was "a martyr for the drink"
and when his wife asked if he still loved her, he wrote the song for her.
Finbar's sincerity mixed with the power of his voice brought out the
heartfelt simplicity of the lyrics.

Before singing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", Anthony explained that
it was written by Henry W. Longfellow after the poet's wife had died and
he'd been notified that his son had been injured in battle. Knowing the
song's history gave the lyrics an even deeper meaning. Anthony's ability to
convey emotional poignancy through his nuanced vocal ability brings depth to
everything he sings.

As usual with the Irish Tenors, it wasn't all serious. They had their fun
with Fairytale of New York. Anthony began, singing, "It was christmas eve,
babe, in the drunk tank..." Finbar shook his head and went tsk, tsk, tsk,
between his teeth. When Karl sang, "I love you!" Anthony cupped his hands
over his heart, looking elated, as if the words were meant for him. They
seemed to particularly enjoy singing Feliz Navidad, later changing it to
Italian ("Buon Natale"). Anthony and Karl suddenly took on a competitive,
I'm-a-better-Italian-tenor-than-you manner as they belted out the notes
Pavarotti style.

All in all it was a delightful concert thoroughly enjoyed by all, including
the Tenors themselves, I think. Hope they'll come back to Cerritos for many
years to come.

Lori Herter