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An American Hero

Mary Ellyn Hutton
Posted: Aug 2, 2009 - 10:33:39 AM in reviews_2009

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Erich Kunzel
It did not rain Saturday night at Riverbend.

   What overflowed the banks of the Ohio River was love, waves and waves of it, from the fans of Cincinnati Pops conductor Erich Kunzel and back.  The occasion was the final concert of the Pops’ 2009 summer season and a continuing celebration of the 25th anniversary of Riverbend, inaugurated by Kunzel and the Pops on July 4, 1984. The all-Rodgers and Hammerstein show featured guest artists Kathleen Brett (soprano), Daniel Narducci (baritone) and Aaron Lazar (tenor), the May Festival Summer Chorus and members of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir.

   PNC pavilion was full.  With a seating capacity roughly twice that of Music Hall (over 6,000 seats), it seemed like all of Cincinnati was there.  There were even more people gathered on the lawn.  Due to the crush of traffic, long lines at the ticket windows and logistics simply overwhelmed by the turnout, the concert was delayed by almost a half-hour.

   There were cheers and tears -- even fireworks at Coney Island next door afterwards, a coincidental occurrence that nevertheless seemed highly appropriate.

   It was also a heart-tugging tribute to Kunzel, who is battling pancreatic, liver and colon cancer.

   Kunzel is tired.  Everyone knew it and it was not really a surprise when the announcement was made that Pops associate conductor Steven Reineke would lead the first half of the concert.  Reineke did so splendidly, having matured into Kunzel’s heir apparent since he first came to the Pops as a 25-year-old wunderkind composer, arranger and conductor in 1995. 

   It was a fast-paced show, with medleys of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.  Brett and Narducci are Pops regulars.  Lazar, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, made a stirring debut, his heroic tenor recalling the revolutionary leader Enjolras in “Les Mis,” the role with which he captivated Broadway.

   There were medleys from five R & H classics, “Oklahoma,” “Carousel,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “The Sound of Music.”  All deal with thoughtful, true-to-life subject matter, so much the better for this concert, whose theme was clearly Kunzel himself

    “I will never leave Cincinnati,” he once told The Cincinnati Post, and even when worldwide fame beckoned, he remained centered where he began as assistant to Cincinnati Symphony music director Max Rudolf in 1965.  He has always been there for his Cincinnati fans, whether at Music Hall, Riverbend or in parks throughout Greater Cincinnati, where he led a series of free, late summer concerts that drew thousands year after year until budget cuts forced their cancellation in 2007.

   There were many memorable moments during the first half:  Narducci’s burnished baritone in “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and a mesmerizing Soliloquy from “Carousel,” Lazar soaring in “If I Loved You” and “Younger than Springtime,” and anything Brett lent her creamy soprano to.  Brett shone with  particular brightness as nurse Nellie Forbush in “South Pacific” (“Cockeyed Optimist,” “A Wonderful Guy”), holding her own in "Honey Bun" against Narducci-in-drag, complete with seashell bra, mop wig and grass skirt.

   The crowd rose as one when Kunzel walked out to lead the second half.  “Hey, we made it,” he said, with the usual lift in his voice, before taking his seat on the podium to lead selections from “The King and I.”

   As is his custom, he introduced each set with comments.  (Kunzel's podium comments, invariably engaging and unpredictable, are a signal attribute that have always endeared him to audiences.)  This was never so moving, however, as preceding Rodgers' “Victory at Sea," where, voice breaking, he dedicated the sweeping wartime panorama to all of the nation’s armed forces, and proceeded to conduct it powerfully without a score.

   It must have taken a lot out of him, for he surprised the orchestra afterwards by announcing that they would perform the Waltz from “Cinderella” without a conductor.  “The guts of the orchestra are the musicians, not the conductor,” he said.  This allowed him to rest for a moment next to Reineke, who was seated behind the podium throughout the second half.  Happily, the musicians coped well, though lacking the nuances that a conductor provides.  (Close-ups projected onto the big screens beside the stage showed Kunzel mimicking some of these nuances to Reineke.)

   There was a presentation before the final set by CSO board president Trey Devey, board of trustees chairman J. Marvin Quin and vice chair Melody Sawyer Richardson, acknowledging Kunzel’s vital role in the creation of Riverbend and its usage over the years.  (The first live telecast from Riverbend -- on PBS, with trumpeter Doc Severinsen entering the pavilion on Cincinnati Zoo elephant Mai Thai -- was conducted by Kunzel.)  Kunzel was given a plaque and there were hugs and kisses all around.  “It’s been a wonderful 25 years,” he said, adding "there will be many more to come.”

   Excerpts from “The Sound of Music” made a fitting finale, especially since it resonates with Kunzel’s European heritage (also, Kunzel's wife Brunnhilde was born in Austria).  Members of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir were the vivacious Von Trapp kids, melodious icing-on-the-cake in “The Lonely Goatherd,” “So Long, Farewell” and, of course, “Do, Re, Mi” with Brett.

   The camera cut away from Kunzel as Narducci began “Climb Every Mountain,” which brought Kunzel to tears and the concert to an emotional pitch that was felt by everyone within hearing distance.

   But it was not over yet.  Kunzel called for an encore, “Sing a Song” from “my favorite television show, ‘Sesame Street.’” He invited the audience to sing, turning to conduct them as they sang and clapped along.   They did the same for the concluding “God Bless America,” which he led in a touching show of unanimity and love.

   Giving the evening added poignancy, the concert was dedicated to the memory of long-time Cincinnati arts patroness and great lady, Alberta Marsh, who died July 28.