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I've been thinking since Wednesday (probably not a good idea!) of a
way to write yet another review of a concert by our wonderful Irish Tenors.
Then I read Gordon Lloyd's great report on Halifax. Gordon went to his
concert not expecting to enjoy it, and was completely turned around by
how terrific the men were. Ho Hum. All in a night's work for our stellar
trio and their intrepid leader. I, on the other hand, was expecting the
Virginia concert to be marvelous.......and I wasn't disappointed in the least.
The Tenors were in fine voice, and looked rested after having a few days off.
Just as Maestro Arnie Roth lifted his baton to begin, out marched John
McDermott to announce that Anthony was missing. Probably a reference
to the fact that John was not at the concert in Denver. Happily, he was
joking, and the 3 Tenors came out to the strains of "The Harp that Once.."
It was immediately apparent that the men were in good voice and were
out to give us and themselves a good time. And they were certainly
successful. The solos were made of gold. Anthony made many, many
people happy by singing a moving and powerful "Boulevogue", with
ringing top notes. And if that wasn't enough, he also sang a gorgeous
"Grace." If I had a dollar for everyone I heard say that night, how they
had wanted to hear him sing Grace, I'd be able to go to another
concert!! Anthony's third solo was "If I Can Help Somebody", which
he does beautifully at his solo concerts. I do however prefer it with
orchestra. But it was lovely. Finbar again graced us with his magnificent
"How Great Thou Art." There isn't much to say about that song that
hasn't already been said, except that the audience roared with
pleasure. He also sang a great "40 Shades of Green" and a perfectly
wonderful "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen", which he dedicated to
his cousin Kathy who was in the audience, saying he had to be careful,
since she would surely be reporting home to his Mother! John
McDermott sang "The Old Man" most eloquently, and reduced me to
tears, as he always does. I also loved "How Deep The Father's Love",
and the elegant and charming way John sang "Believe Me If All Those
Endearing Young Charms." Many times the trios take a back seat
to the solos in concerts, and often serve as a break between one or
another of the singers' chance to shine. But the group of songs the
men picked this time more than held their own, and were often the
most memorable. "Lord of the Dance", sung as a round, "Be Thou
My Vision", "Only Our Rivers Run Free", and "My Love", were
magnificent. But the two I will long remember are "My Forever Friend",
and "Deus Meus." If you listen to the words those beautiful voices
were singing in "My Forever Friend", and the emotion the men put
into the songs, I don't know how one can forget them. Remembering
John singing "everybody needs a friend sometime, no one stands
alone", or Anthony's glorious voice in the line "I'm not always His
friend, but He is always mine..." will remain in my memory for a good
long time. Unlike Gordon, I loved "Deus Meus" when I heard it last
year. But this time around I think the men sounded even better.
And their strong voices, sung in unison instead of in harmony,
sounded like a choir, not like 3 tenor voices. And in case anyone
still has doubts about John McDermott's place in this group........
don't worry about a thing. John's lower register is strong and vibrant,
and his singing of some of the songs an octave lower lends more
heft to the vocal line, and more balance. This night in Virginia, The
Irish Tenors were definitely a force to be reckoned with. By now,
everyone, including Arnie Roth, knows how I feel about the Maestro.
I once said I hoped he'd be velcroed to the men. And I haven't
changed my mind. He is like a loving parent, coaxing beautiful
sounds out of his orchestra, which was the Virginia Symphony
Orchestra, and also bringing the best out of the voices of Messers
Kearns, McDermott, and Wright. You can see in the Tenors' eyes,
how much they admire Arnie. That's a pretty good sign of a
great conductor!

Just a few closing words. There was a signing of the new CD. The men
were most gracious while signing, posing for pictures, and saying
a few words to their admirers. There are a couple of songs on the
CD which are not in the program, and it's worth the price just to
hear the exquisite way Anthony sings "To Do Your Will", and Finbar's
lovely "There's No Cross." Uh oh. I see a stack of "Sacred" CDs
in my future! And I also want to thank Sean Casey, of CMI
Entertainment, for arranging the CD signings, so that the fans can
thank the Tenors in person for their performances, and for being so
gracous to all who attended the concert. 11 hours on the road is
long time to travel to see a concert. But not when it's our wonderful
Irish Tenors!

Berta Calechman