EISENHOWER HALL
WEST POINT, NY
March 8, 2009
As you can see from Sue and Gen's fine photos on Anthony's
website, our Irish Tenors gave their audience a happy afternoon
on Sunday March 8 at West Point.
The 4000+ seat Eisenhower Hall at the United States Military Academy
was said to be sold-out; the occasional empty chair was attributed
to ticket-holder no-shows. Cadets naturally got the front-center
seats (behind the Army "brass," of course ;-) Other than being farther
to the rear than our usual position, our group could hear very
well--the Hall has superior acoustics. In fact, to my ears, the singers'
microphones were set too loud, washing out the sensitive emotional
effect of some tender phrases, despite the Tenors' usual expressivity.
I missed seeing the facial expressions on our darlin' lads; but at
that we did "better" than Anthony who, having received as spattering
of applause from the opposite side of the auditorium at one point,
joked that, "Well, at least there are two or three people here who
know me!" If only we could have jumped up and cried, "We're here,
Anthony, we ARE here!" It was unfortunate that for some reason, the
Tenors did not introduce themselves at the beginning of the evening;
comments later overheard indicated that a great many folks had barely
heard of The Irish Tenors and knew next to nothing about them, let
alone who was who.
Whether it was the austere setting (no decorations on stage, except for
an illuminated back-drop in colors appropriate to the songs)---or due
to some deference to the supposed sensibilities of the seriously large
military contingent present, the first half of the program was presented
and received in a rather more sedate manner than we "aficionadas"
have come to expect. Contributing to this feeling, the musical
tempo throughout was noticeably "off" --often slower (although sometimes
faster)-- than one usually hears. Personally, I found this disconcerting.
The evening began with A double "overture" from "Mise Eire," coupled
with "Turlough Carolan's Farewell." The first song, "The Rose of Tralee,"
done in trio as usual, was calmly received. Applause, to me, seemed a
bit perfunctory, especially during the first half of the program. But
I loved Finbar's "Green Isle of Erin," about which I once waxed rhapsodic
on the old Finbar yahoo e-list--all the range and richness of his voice
can be on display in this favorite.
Two "right off the bat" songs in Irish ("Trasna Na Dhonnta" and "Oro Se
Do Beatha Baile")-- made me wince as I heard the initial bars -- and,
sure enough, these numbers left the audience in what seemed like
puzzled silence.
It reminded me of the 2000 concert at the Nassau Coliseum when
Finbar opened the second half by addressing the crowd at some
length in the Irish language. I can still recall the precise instant in
which it seemed clear to Finbar that he was not being understood;
nevertheless, he soldiered on; and I felt then rather embarrassed
for us, and sorry for Finbar's disappointment in our lack of
knowledge of the "mother tongue."
Similarly at West Point, it appears that whoever made the choice of
songs for the program had been "oversold" on the extent to which this
particular audience was made up of "dyed-in-the- wool" Irish-Americans.
Yes, there was some "green wool" -: seen, and other garments of the
color in evidence; but as someone commented to me, the large
number of elderly and "tour-bus" group members gave us the
impression that attending an event like this was their once-a-year
nod to tradition-- their "Saint Patrick's Day duty," one might say.
This impression was only strengthened when, following the
intermission, songs which one would expect to be more familiar
to this "market" were received with considerably more
enthusiasm (e.g., "Galway Bay" "When Irish Eyes are Smiling"
[Finbar, by gestures, tried to coax the audience to sing along,
but no go] "Too Raa Loo Ra"and of course, the ever-popular -:)
"Danny Boy"). "Hail Glorious Saint Patrick," that anthem from
our school days,(well, for some of us) was expected and appreciated.
Material not specifically "Irish," did better when "explained." For
example, Finbar mentioned that the "Teddy Bears' Picnic"
lyrics were by an Irishman, Jimmy Kennedy; as was "South of
the Border.")
I have observed a similar phenomenon over many concerts.
It's almost as though anything not "Irish," especially if Hispano/Latin,
has to be"justified" by being given some Irish connection (although
this hasn't seemed to apply to "Granada"). Then, again exhibiting
his "audience-sense, " Finbar sang and danced his "signature number"
with especial grace and elan. Naturally, the audience was
delighted, and actually cheered.
Likewise, Anthony provided some historical orientation on
"Boolavogue, " which was obviously necessary with this crowd.
Given the background of the song, and the fate of the characters
involved, I could have hoped for a more empathetic response to
this tale of heroic men fighting for freedom against overwhelming
odds, than it seemed to evoke. Perhaps, the role of "Father"
Murphy threw folks off. Yet, "A Soldier's Song," (On the One Road")
fared about the same (i.e., polite applause).
Given the nature of the venue, I also expected at least one or two
American patriotic songs (e.g., "The Battle Hymn of the Republic,"
which the Tenors have performed on other occasions) but no joy.
"God Bless America" was done, at the close of the regular program,
at which everyone rose.
Karl's "The Old Man" might have benefitted from a few
words on its personal meaning to the composer, Phil Coulter,
whose rendition still remains, in my opinion, the most touching
and evocative of all. But just hearing Karl's silky tone is a pleasure
in itself.
Overall, I think we all agreed that the second half of the
program revved things up quite a bit. The ragged timing and
occasional failure of the Tenors to start their lines simultaneously,
that I noted during the first half, was not apparent once they
"warmed up." Or maybe they were just a bit tired in the beginning,
it being the first day of Day-light Saving Time, (aka "lose an hour's
sleep" time), with a long bus ride from upstate Utica thrown in as well.
Moreover, the upbeat numbers were prominent after intermission.
"The Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Store" provided a good
rollicking pace (no, Anthony did NOT play with the verse by having
Dan "take down his shotgun," -- not here! ) Reliable old Percy
French contributed his unfailing wit, and each lad made the
most of his regular bit in the medley (again, though, how many
know why "The West Clare Railway" was the butt
of jokes in its day, and hence why "Are Ye Right There, Michael" is
so funny? And the RR whistle was missing, too! A bit of history might
have helped there.
But Finbar did suggest that "Little Bridget Flynn" presented a portrait
of the typical Irish bachelor,; and this Percy French song always
succeeds, especially with Finbar's humorous (if rather hard to
credit!) impersonation of anybody's idea of a bachelor who would
have "nobody lookin' after me." Sympathetic sighs and moans at
that line provided one of the very few spontaneous outbursts
from this audience! And, yes, the "thrush" DID sing on the
hawthorne bush, sounding remarkably like a piccolo.
Another highlight was Anthony's lovely "Eily Mavourneen" from the
opera, "The Lily of Killarney." Anthony briefly outlined the plot of
the opera, and indicated the aria's place in the story. His peerless
rendition ended--ended- -ended... ended.! with a
phenomenally prolonged finalnote, as only Anthony can hold one!
The West Point show varied little in content from the programme
at Utica. In point of fact, it must be three years, at least, since I've
heard a new song introduced at an Irish Tenors concert (not including
Anthony's and Finbar's respective solo tours).
Why then, you may well ask, do I continue to go faithfully to any and
all of them that I can? Perhaps the real answer is the same that
I gave to a young couple from Ireland, who asked me after the
2000 SUNY Purchase evening, "why I liked the Irish Tenors."
Surprised, I came up with the simple truth: "because of the beauty
of their voices." May they never cease to grace us with their
unique gifts and artistry
Mary-Carol Cahill
