"a wonderful voice"
   – MARVIN HAMLISCH
   

Hope Wins Over Crowd At Sinatra Tribute
10/16/98 by Andrew Thompson for the Winnipeg Free Press

While the mayoralty candidates were heating up the Walker Theatre on Wednesday night, just across from city hall the Chairman of the Board was bringing the house down.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra MTS Pops Concert, called Blue Eyes and Broadway: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra, proved to be a most satisfying affair.

Vocalist Michael Hope served as the evening's guide. A bassoonist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, "Hope has carved out a niche for himself in the symphonic pops repertoire by specializing in works of from the great American songbooks: Gershwin, Porter Berlin and the like. With a tribute to Frank Sinatra, he has moved into deep waters indeed, because performing a legend's repertoire immediately invites comparisons.

The first half of the show contained all of Sinatra's signature tunes. Night and Day provided a good opportunity to warm up, but the first hint of things to come appeared in Someone to Watch Over Me. Hope's clean, clear voice really suited this Gershwin classic and his careful articulation actually created a sense of intimacy in the cavernous concert hall.

Stardust and Witchcraft only reinforced this impression: rather than being a song stylist, Hope is very much a polished singer and musician who brings a keen sense of intonation and musicality to his art. He was equally comfortable singing over the WSO forces or when accompanied by Rick Boughton on the piano. Fly Me to The Moon gave Boughton a chance for a nice solo that served to add a little lounge feel to the evening.

Perhaps the most impressive tune before the intermission was A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square. Hope's tender rendition contained some beautifully phased lines and controlled vibrato. By this time of the evening the Frank Sinatra Tribute had truly become the Michael Hope Show. Even a performance of New York, New York that followed Sinatra's interpretation nearly to the note still seemed to be exclusively on Hope's own terms.

Broadway dominated the second half. Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha framed the two ballads Not While I'm Around and Send In the Clowns. Both were well suited to Hope's technique: the best moments of the concert came in the more delicate melodic moments. At this stage, Hope also clearly felt more at home with the crowd and chatted freely between tunes.

Rosemary Thompson led the WSO through the arrangements as a most sensitive accompanist, never allowing her forces to overpower the vocal line.

When the Impossible Dream finished the concert, it was clear that this young vocalist had won over his crowd: the enthusiastic audience's standing ovation was not for an evening of Frank Sinatra's tunes - it was for Michael Hope. 

                                         Michael