North Fork Theatre
Westbury, NY
March 9, 2007
Friday night's Irish Tenor concert at North Fork Theatre was an absolute
pleasure. To begin with, we were treated to a new conductor. Finbar
introduced him as Eric Stern. The disappointment I felt when it wasn't
Arnie who came out to the podium was abated somewhat when the
orchestra began to play. Mr. Stern conducted crisply, cleanly, and
exuberantly. He got a rich sound from the orchestra, and was very attentive
to his singers. And his singers were in wonderful form. The solos and trios were smoothly and expertly done. To speak of Karl first, I heard
more power in his voice at this concert, than I have previously, and it was
very impressive. His middle voice is rich and full. "The Water is Wide" was
gorgeously sung. He also sang a beautiful "Lift the Wings" from Riverdance,
and an equally lovely "Last Rose of Summer." Finbar's solos were very
much enjoyed by the audience. He sang an elegant "Forty Shades of Green",
and his adorable "Little Brigid Flynn, with a slightly toned-down dance, due
to the size of the stage. Finbar seems to like the fact that after he sings the
phrase ".....and there's lots to look after, and I'm living all alone, and there's
no one looking after me", and does a little pout, the audience does a
collective "AWWW." As has been the case at most of the concerts,
as soon as the orchestra begins the introduction to "I'll Take You Home
Again, Kathleen", there is an audible sigh, and the audience begins to
applaud. And Finbar doesn't disappoint. He sang a marvelous rendition
of it. Anthony began his solo pieces with an ethereal "She Mov'd Through
the Fair", and the atmosphere he created with the beauty of his voice and
his clear diction, painted a mesmerizing vocal picture. His second solo
piece was one he's done often at his solo concerts, "The Palatine's Daughter."
It was spiffily done, but I much prefer a simple piano accompaniment, to the
rather overblown orchestral arrangement. It shows off the voice to better
advantage. One of the stars of the night was "Grace," and that song, and
the magnificent way Anthony sings it, have never failed to thrill me, no
matter how many times I've heard him sing it. The audience erupted into
prolonged applause and whistles.
The inclusion of some trios which haven't been heard in awhile, or have
only been heard once, and then taken out of the program was very
gratifying. "The Rose Of Tralee" was particularly beautiful, and
"My Irish Molly" was terrific, as the Tenors had lots of fun singing it.
My favorites were of course, the haunting "My Heart Will Go On" from the
film "Titanic." After Finbar speaks the opening lines in his velvety speaking
voice, the music carries us away to Cobh, and the trio is heartbreakingly
beautiful. The Tenors do the fun stuff really well, and Karl's sense of humor
fits in so well with Anthony's and Finbar's, that it all seems to jell. "Golden
Jubilee" and "Will Ye Go, Lassie" were wonderful, and Karl did a very funny
kind of (deliberately) "klutzy" dance step at the end of "Phil the Fluther"
after Finbar and Anthony had shown off their fancy steps. The "Limerick
anthem"- "There is an Isle" was really lovely, and the three songs the men
sang about their birthplaces was one of the highlights of the evening.
Finbar's "Banks of the Lovely Lee" was marvelous, as was Anthony's "Boys
of Wexford." Karl sang a Kilkenny song, "Rose of Mooncoin" which I really
loved. As Anthony said, "Karl's lived so many places, he really could sing a
song from just about anywhere." And I must say....congratulations to the
Tenors! After nearly five years, and at least three separate attempts to
perform it and keep it in the show, "Marie's Wedding/I Know My Love"
was well nigh perfect, and a great success!! It's a difficult medley, with
time and tempo changes from one song to the other, and the men did it
without missing a beat...literally! It was wonderful! After thunderous
applause, and a standing ovation, the men came back for their encores.
Mr. Stern, the conductor, seemed a little nonplussed at the reception the
guys were getting, but he adjusted, and smiled all the way through. This
time the men encouraged the audience to sing along with "Toora Loora
Loora" and "When Irish Eyes are Smiling." And of course the concert finally
ended with everyone standing to sing "God Bless America." This night I
noticed several members of the audience with their hands over their
hearts as they sang. The Tenors noticed as well. It was a wonderful
experience for oldsters and youngsters. Behind me I heard a woman
telling her partner how much she had enjoyed the concert, and thanking
him for introducing her to The Irish Tenors. And I'll say thank you to The
Irish Tenors for just being themselves, giving of themselves, and singing
like angels!
Berta Calechman
