MTC #185 - Music for a Summer Evening '17

 
Friday and Saturday night, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, along with special guest star Alex Boyé, combined their talents to present a Music for a Summer Evening (aka "Pioneer Day Concert"). Rehearsals for this event, for the Choir at least, began on June 17th and continued each Thursday night (after rehearsing for Music & the Spoken Word), and after each Sunday morning broadcast. 

What can I say about the concerts? Well, they were great!. The standard pioneer-related songs, the spirituals, a few songs from the 50s/60s, and some fun Disney songs made for a fun and memorable evening both nights. While the Conference Center had plenty of empty seats, those who came were incredibly enthusiastic and let their appreciation be known by lots of clapping and several standing ovations. 

My favorite moments?

Glad you asked.

I had several, but to name just a few.... I thought Alex Boyé did a fantastic job with all of the songs the choir sang with him, and accompanied him on. His solo number was moving, but the one that moved me to near tears was "Walk With Me". I don't think the Choir has ever sung that song so perfectly, nor do I think Alex has ever performed it like he did Saturday night. He, himself, had so many tears of emotion afterwards that he had to wipe his eyes three or four times before being able to sing the next song. I also enjoyed the two songs from The Lion King. I can't say it's my favorite musical or movie. But "He Lives in You", and "The Circle of Life" are powerful songs and the infusion of African elements--along with the songs' musicality and lyrics--make for a unique and moving listening/singing experience. Before singing "The Circle of Life", Alex gave a moving and humbling account of why he can often be seen with a white streak of paint under his right eye. Apparently back when many Africans were sold as slaves and shipped to various parts of the world, families were often broken up as a result. The mothers, though, came up with the idea of "marking" their children with unique symbols so that one day, should they be fortunate enough to come in contact with their children again, they'd be able to recognize them through those unique symbols. Alex dedicated the song to all mothers who work so hard to keep their families together. Having that introduction made singing that song extra special. 

The last song I wanted to comment on is a song from Pete's Dragon (the 1970s version) called "Brazzle

Dazzle Day". It was a fun piece and Ryan Murphy's arrangement of it was perfect. It brought back nice memories of seeing that movie as a kid and of enjoying much simpler times. The lyrics just made me want to climb aboard Elliott the dragon and fly high, high above the clouds.

(While the song we sang from Moana wasn't my favorite, it does deserve honorable mention only because I woke up to it every morning in my head for the past few weeks. Consider the coconut!)

If you weren't able to catch the concert, you're in luck! You can watch it via YouTube, HERE. Enjoy.

Until next time, God be with you.