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Summer of 'magic' begins
Kearns' voice soars out of Bowl at opening concert
By JOY JUEDES, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/27/2010 01:00:00 AM PDT
©
Redlands Daily Facts
Irish tenor Anthony Kearns had just finished "The Loveliest Night of the Year" from the 1951 film "The Great Caruso." Such was the reaction to many of the songs he sang, accompanied by the San Bernardino Symphony and Bowl artistic adviser and conductor Frank Fetta.
The concert began with "Also sprach Zarathustra" from "2001: A Space Odyssey." The symphony then launched into John Williams' "Star Wars Medley," which I could fully appreciate having finally seen the original trilogy last year thanks to my colleague Jesse B. Gill.
Kearns, fresh from his debut as Don Jose in "Carmen" in Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, began with "With a Song in My Heart (Spring is Here)," by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. It was easy to see Kearns in an opera, with his powerful voice and occasional sweeping gestures. Each song he performed made me wonder if the roof would have stayed on the building had he sung indoors.
The symphony gave Kearns a break with "Feather Theme" from the film "Forrest Gump," one of the most enchanting pieces of the evening for me. Fetta played the piano with one hand and conducted with the other. For that piece, he and the piano were the stars, and the orchestra provided graceful accompaniment.
Kearns was accidentally sent onstage during the symphony's rendition of "More" from the 1962 film "Mondo Cane." He stood and listened to the symphony play the piece before telling the audience he was "let out of the traps too soon."
"That was lovely, wasn't it?" he said.
He then got his turn again, with "Younger Than Springtime" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "South Pacific." Then came the song I wanted most to hear, "Bring Him Home" from the musical "Les Miserables."
Fetta again played the piano, and Kearns gave his only song introduction of the evening. The piece is sung by an older man asking God to spare a younger man he considers a son. It did not make me cry, as I thought it would, but it was beautiful, and made me want to pop in my "Les Mis" recording again.
Kearns and the symphony ended the first half of the concert with "Dein Ist Mein Ganzes Herz," which, as one could guess, was sung in German. I appreciated that he also sang it in English.
Kearns opened the second half with "La Donna e Mobile" from the opera "Rigoletto." His high notes in that piece and others elicited a few oohs and aahs. I recognized his second song, "Torna a Sorrento," even though I did not recognize the title.
The symphony stepped into the limelight for George Gershwin's "An American in Paris." It gave me more time to watch Fetta, a fixture on the Bowl stage for a quarter century, enjoy himself. The symphony reminded me of the caliber of local music groups. Fetta will conduct the Redlands Symphony later in the summer.
Kearns finished with "Serenade (The Student Prince)" and the iconic "Impossible Dream" from "Man of La Mancha."
After exiting with flowers, he returned to sing "Danny Boy."
"Being Irish, I couldn't get out of the place without singing this song," he said.
The next Bowl concert is 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, with the winners of the Young Artists Auditions.
REDLANDS - "Doesn't it just warm the cockles of your heart?" a woman sitting behind me said at Friday's opening Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival concert.
Anthony Kearns sings with the San Bernardino Sympony during opening night. Kearns is most known as a member of The Irish Tenors. (ERIC TOM/Redlands Daily Facts)
Frank Fetta takes a bow as he is introduced before conducting the San Bernardino Sympony during opening night of the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival titled "Symphony, Songs & Cinema" Friday. (ERIC TOM/Redlands Daily Facts)
