Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Liverpool I Came I Saw I hopefully Conquered!
Liverpool I Came I Saw I hopefully Conquered!
It seems like a haze - but two nights ago, I was standing in front of an audience of 1800 in Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool England conducting one of the worlds most respected orchestras - the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.Thanks to my successful appearance performing my oratorio "Saints on the Seas" four years ago with the them, the RLPO booked my "Night at the Movies" show virtually sight unseen. This show - which traces the history of film music with the help of a large screen, film composer bios, and interesting anecdotes about the films and their scores - was first premiered with the Utah Symphony 2-1/2 years ago and is now being booked worldwide.
After three productive, albeit frantic rehearsals (lots to logistics to make this show happen!), the show went off swimmingly. The audience truly seemed to enjoy the subject matter and the music was well received. Even the technical faux pas (a particulary satanic DVD player!) in the first half made for a couple of fun ad-libbed quips that the audience seemed to get a kick out of.
Joining me during the second half of the show for a couple of movie show tunes was local teenager Kathryn Rudge. At only 19 years old, she possesses a voice and maturity well beyond her years. She really was great singing Moon River and the theme from Titanic.
The highlights for me were the two songs that started and finished the concert. My "Night at the Movies Overture" was a collection of nearly 40 melodies intertwined into a very unique and ear-catching arrangement. The dramatic closing arrangement was my "Tribute to John Williams" which had the audience cheering for what, for me , was an unusually long ovation. Coming back to the stage 4 times was a little awkward for me, but exhilirating as well.
I wont soon forget the warm reception from the Liverpool audience, the helpful staff of the RLPO, and the incredible musicians that took my music to a very high level. Ill look forward to returning there someday soon for another go.
(with my manager Kevin Raleigh.
Smile Kevin! Just act like youre having fun!)
Cheers!
Kurt
p.s. Of course - a trip to Liverpool wouldnt be culturally complete without a stop at the Cavern Club where the Beatles first played. (It was 10:00 a.m. - so a picture outside was all I could muster!)
