"a wonderful voice"
   – MARVIN HAMLISCH
   

Philharmonic Program Salutes Sinatra

The Scranton Times, February 16, 2003

Michael Hope with The North-Eastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic

By Al Choman (Times-Shamrock Newspapers)

WILKES-BARRE – There was love in the air on Saturday night at the Kirby Center.

Clyde Mitchell and The North-Eastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, along with vocalist Michael Hope put it there in an evening of signature songs by one of romance’s main provocateurs, Frank Sinatra.

“Big City, Blue Eyes and Broadway” was the theme for the evening’s well-calculated program of music by Porter, Gershwin and Sondheim. The result was a sumptuous two hours of silky smooth ballads and vibrant show tunes with each and every one designed to keep the audience in the mood of the holiday weekend.

Canadian-born singer, Michael Hope hosted a musical ride down memory lane filled with musical selections that made Francis Albert Sinatra one of the world’s best-known singers. “Night & Day, ” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “New York, New York” are a trilogy of examples that Mr. Hope interpreted for the sellout audience Saturday evening. 

The Philharmonic sounded particularly pristine as Mr. Hope’s lucid, vibrant baritone packed power and precision. Mr. Hope explained that he wasn’t trying to be Ol’ Blue Eyes, just praise his works and that he did quite eloquently. Mr Hope is an engaging vocalist with a thoughtful approach to some of Broadway and Big Band’s best known works. He can give Cole Porter’s “Begin The Beguine” texture while Kander and Ebb’s “New York, New York “ has the glitzy splash of the Big Apple from start to finish.

Mr. Hope is a unique vocal stylist who will not necessarily dazzle you with technical mastery, but develops more wholly as his performance progresses. Michael Hope’s entertainment skills lie in his ability to be charismatic, debonair and dutifully make every note count. When the song’s direction heads toward his register of strong suit, he brings it home every time.

Michael Hope has great confidence as a performer and that feeling comes forth to his audience through every song. With an evening so cold on the outside of the theatre, Mr. Hope’s voice proved the perfect companion for this musical sojourn designed to melt hearts on the inside.

The second portion of Saturday’s concert entitled “Down 42nd Street!” featured Broadway tunes by Porter, Sondheim, Perkins and Leigh. As Pops concerts usually dictate, Saturday’s composition of the orchestra was structured by the program and yielded a beautiful sounding assortment of players as varied as a center staged drummer. The results were splendid as the orchestra laid a luscious sounding bed for Mr. Hope’s vocal stylings.

                                         Michael