Okay, the full title is Broadway’s Future 2018, Marymount Manhattan College Holiday Songbook. And this one had a mix of traditional Christmas songs as well as some that were just recently composed, all performed by current students and alumni members. With eighteen songs performed (and two of those were medleys), not everything will get mentioned.
The afternoon opened with a fifteen-person a cappella group, On A Side Note, who sang White Winter Hymnal/Sleigh Ride. It looked better on paper than the execution turned out. Next up was a trio who sang I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and The Christmas Song. I enjoyed all three songs and performers (oh, and at fifty-two performers, names will not be mentioned, either).
A newly composed song followed that was okay, but not one of my favorites. And it was one of seven songs that had guitar accompaniment—at times the concert seemed like a coffee house from the ’60s or ’70s. Not a put-down, just an observation. New to me was Petite Papa Noel, which was Piaf-style gentle pop. Quite enjoyable.
O Holy Night was effective, but with a decidedly pop feel and (Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag had a fun, jazz feel.
Written just a couple of years ago, The Christmas Break-Up Song, performed by the composer/lyricist, had a very funny premise and a very, very funny performance. Easily the highlight of the concert, for me—it was also very popular with the audience.ConcertMeister
A touching yet troubling song followed that contained a bit of a political message. It was composed for this occasion, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it being included. Another newly composed song performed by the composer/lyricist (and four others) followed. Wishlist was interesting, with contemporary close harmony. Blanca Navidad was fun to hear—it’s somewhat odd to hear a favorite in a new way (a Spanish translation, here).
A new song, Aurora, was also fun, with a goal of wanting to see the Northern Lights for Christmas.
The concert closed with something that looked odd on paper but turned out to be pretty cool. Silent Night was sung by a trio, two of whom played guitar with the third playing the banjo. It definitely rounded out that coffee house feeling in a good way. It was quite effective.
The entire afternoon was also an effective way to mix some old chestnuts with some newer compositions. Marymount Manhattan College is turning out some talented students. I had a great time and so did they, and so did the audience.
ConcertMeister
No comments:
Post a Comment