CHRISTMAS TOUR
North Fork Theatre
Westbury, NY
December 8, 2005
Westbury Wonderland
After a couple of days fraught with dashed hopes, I actually did attend
the Irish Tenors concert at Westbury. But as any Tenor fan knows, once
you enter the auditorium, and anticipate the arrival of Maestro Arnie and
the boys, all your worries vanish and even uncomfortable seats become
a non-issue. The Tenors are onstage, you're in the audience, and for a
couple of hours....all's right with the world. Well, maybe not all. My seat
was in the front row, but behind the horn section. So.....I heard the horn
version of The Lord's Prayer, the horn version of Mille Cherubini and How
Great Thou Art, and the horn version of Silent Night. Not wonderful, I must
admit. And to make things worse, these horns were awful. Arnie paid
special attention to them, but even that didn't help. The rest of his orchestra
was excellent, and he led them with love and care. After what I was told
was a staggeringly difficult day for the Tenors, they arrived later than
usual to Westbury, and still had to rehearse. And....the weather reports
were predicting a major storm, and they still had to travel to Syracuse.
Despite all that, it was a very good concert. The Tenors were in excellent
voice, and good spirits. They had a good time, and so did we. The lads
seem so comfortable and relaxed with one another, and it shows in their
performances. This concert was a combination of the Sacred CD, some
beautiful Christmas songs, and some new, from John. Finbar sang a really
lovely Mille Cherubini, which was warmly welcomed back. Anthony
sang his famous Wexford Carol, and it has lost none of its beauty since
he sang it last. John sang a wonderful Old Tin Star. He has a rapport with
the audience that transcends the music. Finbar's Mary's Boychild was
terrific, and just as I thought there must be some Latin blood in Mr. Wright
during South of the Border, I now feel he must have some Jamaican blood
in him as well. It was great. Anthony sang If I Can Help Somebody, and his
voice was rich and strong. It's becoming one of my favorites. The last three
solos were the highlights of the evening. Finbar's How Great Thou Art was
the best I've heard him do it, and it got some of the longest applause of
the evening. Anthony's Lord's Prayer, exquisite in its simple eloquence,
was stunning. His voice, on the words "the power and the glory" was
magnificent. John sang a song I'd never heard before called The Secret
of Christmas, and it made such an impression on me, I asked him who
wrote it. John said it was written by the famous composer Sammy Cahn
in 1956, for Bing Crosby's son. It was truly wonderful. The trios were pure
joy. Lord of the Dance, My Forever Friend, My Love, the Courtin'
Medley - they were marvelous. But because it's Christmas, we were
also treated to Fairy Tale of New York, a glorious Silent Night, with Finbar
once again singing his verse in Spanish, a beautiful O Holy Night with
Anthony singing his verse in French, and a spectacular Amazing Grace,
to end the show. Of course the cheers and prolonged applause brought
the boys back to sing the Winter Wonderland medley, with Finbar
inviting us to sing along, and Danny Boy, without which no concert
could conclude. It was great to once again spend Christmas with
The Irish Tenors and Arnie Roth. And as I said at the very beginning,
for awhile there........all was right with the world.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!
Berta Calechman
