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Crescendo Ignace "Iggy" Jang |
Beatles fans will feel fine
with this symphonic salute"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Beatlemania is back in Honolulu. If it's been a hard day's night for you, the Honolulu Symphony Pops' "Tribute to the Beatles" could be just what you need. This weekend, we'll celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' arrival in America with a symphonic tribute: our own renditions of their greatest hits.
The Beatles' American invasion began on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Feb. 9, 1964. Only 728 crazed fans fit into New York City's Studio 50 on that special night, but an estimated 73 million people watched on TV, easily surpassing the highest rating for any show at that time. (Studio 50 is now called the Ed Sullivan Theatre, which is host to "The David Letterman Show.")
'Tribute to the Beatles'The Honolulu Symphony Hawaiian Airlines Pops Series features conductor Matt Catingub and guest artists Glenn Medeiros and Anita Hall
In concert: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall
Tickets: $20, $30, $40, $50 and $65
Call: 792-2000 or Ticketmaster at 877-750-4400
If you were watching in 1964, you'll remember that "She Loves You" was one of the five songs performed, along with "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Perhaps you weren't around in the '60s, but even if "The Ed Sullivan Show" doesn't ring a bell with you, we can agree that the music of the Beatles has withstood the test of time, like two other famous B's of music: Bach and Beethoven.
It's hard to imagine where pop music would stand today without the Beatles' influence. That's what maestro Matt Catingub recognized when he developed the idea of a symphonic tribute. The Beatles are a universal musical force. They have touched every generation since the '60s, and their music unites everyone from teenagers to baby boomers to retirees.
Beatles tunes also represent years of social change: Activists will recall how their songs were a constant background to the peace movement. If you were immersed in the disco era of the '70s, your older siblings probably sought to purify your soul with a few Beatles songs. Generation Xers heard their parents talk about the boys from England and how their arrival in America seemed to change fashions and hairstyles overnight. You may have even compared them with a second British invasion that included bands such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. And, if none of it is familiar to you, consider John Lennon's controversial words, "We're more popular than Jesus now."
For our concerts, maestro Matt has written the charts for some of our favorite Beatles songs, such as "Back in the USSR," "Hey Jude," "The Long and Winding Road" and "Can't Buy Me Love." We'll be joined by Glenn Medeiros, Anita Hall and perhaps a surprise guest.
Mixing orchestra sounds with rock songs was something the Fab Four loved to do, so playing their music feels natural to symphony musicians.
Legend has it that when the Beatles recorded "A Day in the Life," from the "Sgt. Pepper" album, Paul McCartney wanted to represent psychedelic visions through music. He thought that an orchestra would be the ideal medium to create the effect and took it upon himself to conduct the ensemble.
The musicians didn't have music to read from, but were given aural instructions, which essentially consisted of (a) start soft and end loud, (b) start low and end high and (c) don't pay attention to your neighbor. To top it off, the Beatles asked the musicians to wear full concert attire and don novelties at the recording session. Some wore red clown noses; others, gorilla paws. The two bassoons even had balloons tied to their ends that inflated and deflated as they were played.
We feel you'll be talking about this show for a while. Then again, people all over the country have been talking about us lately. That's right -- in case you haven't heard, the Honolulu Symphony Pops CD "Rosemary Clooney: The Last Concert" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. We have some great company in the category: "A Wonderful World," by Tony Bennett and k.d. lang; "As Time Goes By -- The Great American Songbook: Vol. II," by Rod Stewart; "The Movie Album," by Barbra Streisand; and Bette Midler's "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook" are also nominated.
Her concert with the Honolulu Symphony Pops was Clooney's last public performance. It was recorded here in Honolulu in November 2001. Though just a few months before her death, her voice is still very beautiful. The recording includes a moving rendition of "God Bless America," sung at a time of grief in the aftermath of Sept. 11. It is a great honor for all of us in the orchestra to have been part of her life, and we hope to honor her memory by winning the Grammy. The nomination also speaks volumes about Catingub's leadership and the musicians' talent.
We hope to see you this weekend as the Honolulu Symphony Pops journeys down a Penny Lane of Beatles memories. And, don't forget to tune in to the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. You might spot maestro Matt on the red carpet.
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at suggestions@honolulusymphony.com
