"a
wonderful voice"
–
MARVIN HAMLISCH
“…A Wonderful Evening”
REVIEW
Michael Hope and The Red Deer Symphony Orchestra
Saturday December 21, 2002
Penny Caster – The Red Deer Advocate
It hasn’t felt much like Christmas in Central Alberta, what with zero snow on the ground and, until lately, almost balmy temperatures.
But a smashing concert Friday night by the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra with the multi-talented Michael Hope changed all that for me, and I’m sure for the rest of the audience …
The show featured Hope, a baritone who also happens to play the bassoon with The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. But Hope is more than a wonderful expressive voice. He has that elusive thing called stage presence.
Between songs, he charmed the audience with little jokes (the George Bush one was a doozy) and reminiscences of his childhood and even a tasteful little pitch for his CD.A portion of all proceeds will go to the Salvation Army here, he said…
As noted, Hope did much more than simply sing the songs. A slim-built man, he at times appeared ready to break into a dance routine, while at others, he was appropriately serious. His vocal delivery embodies tremendous drama. At the same time, enunciation is crystal clear. His voice, of course, is simply beautiful and always expressive.
Hope’s repertoire included O Holy Night, Away In A Manger and Joseph’s Lullaby The latter carol had only Gianetta Baril’s harp for accompaniment making it all the more evocative.There was also a selection of great movie tunes including Somewhere Over The Rainbow and My Heart Will Go On. Though some songs were sombre, everybody got a chuckle out of The Ghost Of The Turkey, a little ditty about a turkey’s after-death revenge on the farmer who raised him….
Hope even demonstrated his versatility with a bassoon and vocal version of The Christmas Song…Hope, by the way, received one standing ovation during the concert and another at the end. He sang Amazing Grace by way of an encore thus making a great end to a wonderful evening.
Michael