The organization "Since You Went Away," also known as "a gentle
touch for a soldier's Mom," is a much needed one, which cares for
the mothers of America's sons and daughters in today's military.
After a short, beautifully-done film to show just how much they
actually do, the concert began.
Although I could hear moments of tiredness here and there
throughout the concert, Anthony was in fine form, and one would not
guess that he's had concerts almost every day for more than a month,
preceeded by two grueling performances of "Lucia di Lammermoor,"
with Opera Naples, before which were the rehearsals for the opera.
He began with a lovely "Meeting of the Waters." Anyone who's ever
visited County Wicklow in Ireland, and gone to the actual Vale of
Avoca, can't help but be emotionally affected by the evocatively
beautiful way he sings this song. There were lots of Irish songs
on the program (could it have anything to do with the fact that
St. Patrick's Day has just passed?? I wonder). There was the
gorgeous "Terence's Farewell," which has been one of my favorites
since 2002, when Anthony sang it at an Irish Tenors concert. That
was followed by "Lagan Love," another beauty. Both of these
songs he sang with crystalline purity, and his famous soft high
notes. In the Irish vein, we also heard "Kitty Me Love," a definite
crowd pleaser, "How are Things in Glocca Morra?" from Finian's
Rainbow, the song "Trees", taken from the famous poem by Joyce
Kilmer, " "Eileen Og," "The Darlin' Girl from Clare,"and "Hail Glorious
St. Patrick," a tribute to "the man himself," as Anthony said.
But because Anthony Kearns is a master of many musical genres,
we also heard the melancholy jewel "None But the Lonely Heart"
by Tchaikovsky, and the even more beautiful "O Cease Thy
Singing Maiden Fair," by Rachmaninov. Anthony has the skill to
make his voice convey the pervasive sadness that seems to
hover over many, many Russian songs, and their beauty lingers
for a long time. He sang "The Old Refrain," penned by the great
violinist Fritz Kreisler, and did a little editng unleashing a stunning,
full-throated high C. Attention all tenors, and the person who
asked me the question about what makes Anthony Kearns so
special. THAT is what a high C should sound like!
Moving into yet another realm, our tenor sang one of my favorite
songs, "Younger than Springtime," from South Pacific. It was
wonderful! For his one aria, Anthony sang an absolutely spot on,
note perfect "La Donna e Mobile," from Verdi's Rigoletto. His
ending cadenza, going up to a ringing high B natural, was textbook
precise. The coloratura wasn't slurred, each note was distinct,
and it was marvelous. I can't forget to mention the Bach-Gounod
"Ave Maria," sung as a tribute to the men and women in
our armed services. He sang this gloriously.
Together with the pluperfect Patrick Healy, Anthony sang "The
Bould Gendarmes," by Offenbach, and it's always popular. Even
some darling youngsters in the audience, when asked what their
favorite song was, said it was the song where "they run 'em in."
And to showcase the brilliance of Mr. Healy, as well as the voice
and comedy timing of Mr. Kearns, they sang a song Patrick wrote,
"Friendship," a bittersweet, comedy song about two tenors. It
always brings cheers from the audience. And speaking of
Mr. Healy, he sang "The Spinning Wheel," and a lovely "Galway Bay."
He also told my very favorite of all the stories he tells, about playing
"The Donkey Serenade" for two singers, one with a low voice,
and the other with a very high voice. And he started in the wrong
key! He doesn't tell it often enough for me. The audience (and I)
were laughing until we cried.
After a heartfelt 'Danny Boy," Anthony and Patrick sang a
beautiful song by Noel Coward, "I'll See You Again." It was very
touching. And for his final encore, Anthony wowed the crowd
with a spectacular "Granada." It was magnificent, and brought
the cheering audience to its feet.
After thanking both performers for this magical evening,(as I heard
someone in the audience say) I can only think of one other thing to
say. It comes from the pen of the amazing Patrick Healy, himself.
Yes indeed, Anthony and Patrick........you are the stars that shine,
you are the best of wine.
Berta Calechman
- JOSEPH COLLEGE
PATCHOGUE, NY
March 18, 2011
A BENEFIT FOR "SINCE YOU WENT AWAY"
