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Saturday 3rd July 2004
Saturday 3rd July 2004
Irish Tenors at Wolf Trap
PERFORMING ARTS
PERFORMING ARTS
The Irish Tenors, the Emerald Isle's reply to the more
popular trio of two Italians and one Spaniard, launched what may be its
last tour Thursday night at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap. Ronan Tynan's
second-act announcement of his departure from the trio following this
summer's performances inspired a standing ovation from the appreciative
audience.
It wouldn't be the last standing ovation of the night as Tynan, Anthony Kearns and Finbar Wright, darlings of the PBS set, performed an engaging program of Irish ballads and pop tunes accompanied by a 60-piece orchestra.
As the show was the first of the tour, the few miscues were forgivable -- Wright's snappy "South of the Border" had to be restarted to reset the tempo; the trio's vocals were less than parallel on "Isle of Hope" -- but overall it was a pleasant way to spend a summer evening.
The show worked best during the solo portions, when the singers' voices soared over the Broadway-style orchestrations. Kearns's reading of the Irish freedom ballad "The West Awake" was particularly poignant; Wright momentarily energized the crowd with two lines of an a cappella version of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" by way of introducing Cash's "Forty Shades of Green," which he then proceeded to make his own.
Tynan took his last local bow as a trio member after a six-minute rendering of "Song for Ireland," setting a high standard for any potential replacement.
The highlights of the three-voice harmony selections were sincere and emotive versions of the inevitable "Danny Boy," Ireland's answer to "O Sole Mio," and the heartbreaking "Fields of Athenry."
A running gag was the impact onstage of the July heat and humidity. The tenors might want to rethink their wardrobe: white dinner jackets, vests and bow ties might look snappy, but it made one sweat just to see.
It wouldn't be the last standing ovation of the night as Tynan, Anthony Kearns and Finbar Wright, darlings of the PBS set, performed an engaging program of Irish ballads and pop tunes accompanied by a 60-piece orchestra.
As the show was the first of the tour, the few miscues were forgivable -- Wright's snappy "South of the Border" had to be restarted to reset the tempo; the trio's vocals were less than parallel on "Isle of Hope" -- but overall it was a pleasant way to spend a summer evening.
The show worked best during the solo portions, when the singers' voices soared over the Broadway-style orchestrations. Kearns's reading of the Irish freedom ballad "The West Awake" was particularly poignant; Wright momentarily energized the crowd with two lines of an a cappella version of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" by way of introducing Cash's "Forty Shades of Green," which he then proceeded to make his own.
Tynan took his last local bow as a trio member after a six-minute rendering of "Song for Ireland," setting a high standard for any potential replacement.
The highlights of the three-voice harmony selections were sincere and emotive versions of the inevitable "Danny Boy," Ireland's answer to "O Sole Mio," and the heartbreaking "Fields of Athenry."
A running gag was the impact onstage of the July heat and humidity. The tenors might want to rethink their wardrobe: white dinner jackets, vests and bow ties might look snappy, but it made one sweat just to see.
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"The Little Yellow Bus" Tenors Tour Site! © Marie L.Collins 2003. All Rights Reserved.
"The Little Yellow Bus" Tenors Tour Site! © Marie L.Collins 2003. All Rights Reserved.
