Promo/Tech...
Press...
Concert Reviews:
-Mithril and Mobile Symphony - March 14, 2009
-Mithril's performance at Laidlaw 'sublime'
-Symphony presents tuneful evening with Celtic group Mithril
CD Reviews:
-The Return Home
-Winter's Day 1
-Winter's Day 2
Symphony presents tuneful evening with Celtic group Mithril
Mobile Register
Monday, December 20, 2004
By: Thomas Harrison e-mail
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Every season has its defining moment, and Mobile's might have come Saturday night. In the St. Nick of time, you might say.
Mobile Symphony Orchestra turned the spotlight on the Celtic quartet Mithril, with electrifying results. Call it the season's "highlight reel," a double entendre for those who appreciate the Celtic sound. The four musicians, playing like a dozen good pipers and true, delivered two exciting sets and an encore that had Mobilians tapping their toes and roaring approval. The group earned two standing ovations. One more medley of reels and the audience would have been hopping around like the leprechauns in "Darby O'Gill and the Little People."
One hesitates to label this a "star-making" performance -- Mithril has established a solid reputation outside the region and has been featured on the syndicated radio program "Celtic Connections" and locally on Catt Sirten's "Radio Avalon." The 90-plus minutes of music lifted the collective spirits of Mobile-Baldwin residents who seemed ready to put aside thoughts of a difficult year, if only for one joyous evening.
Under the direction of Scott Speck, the orchestra began with Leroy Anderson's "The Girl I Left Behind Me" from the composer's "Irish Suite." This was followed by one of the season's most familiar tunes, Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia On Greensleeves."
Speck then introduced Mithril: founding members Andra Bohnet (flutes) and Tom Morley (violin), and guitarist Ben Harper and percussionist David Hughes. The quartet played with verve and seemed to be in constant motion; clearly they were having fun. The four wasted no time demonstrating why Mithril has become one of the most sought-after groups in the region, as a medley of jigs -- "I Saw Three Ships/As I Sat on A Sunny Bank/The Gooding Carol" -- showed off their impressive musical chops.
Then Morley slowed the pace with a poignant violin solo in one of the concert's most beautiful compositions, "Winter's Day," the title cut from the group's newly released CD. The slow air proved a perfect bridge to the concluding medley of reels, "Christmas Eve Reel/New Christmas Reel/The Gravel Walks."
When Mithril hit the final emphatic note, the ovation was thunderous.
Speck then led the orchestra in another Anderson standard from "The Irish Suite," a jaunty little tune called "The Rakes of Mallow." Anyone who saw the great John Ford/John Wayne movie "The Quiet Man" recognized the soundtrack to the film's funny, two-fisted climax.
There was much more to come in the holly-jolly second half.
Speck and the orchestra got matters under way with a selection from Michael Flatley's kinetic "Lord of the Dance," after which Mithril returned with another series of jigs arranged by Bohnet: "Merry Christmas/Masters in the Hall/All Around the Holly Tree."
Another reflective interlude followed with the haunting and lovely "Wexford Carol," which the ensemble played with an elegant flourish.
Mithril's reprise of "Greensleeves" started slowly but morphed into an up-tempo piece. Hughes, who'd left the stage moments earlier, returned with a percussive flair as pace and tempo quickened in "What Reel Is This?/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."
At one point Hughes walked toward the wings and returned with a second drummer, MSO principal John Purser, who joined Mithril for a breathtaking finish that brought patrons to their feet.
Mithril returned for a well-deserved encore, "Blarney Pilgrim/John Ryan's Polka," which a few undoubtedly recognized from the movie "Titanic."
Speck and company added a little surprise as the Maestro led the orchestra in what was to have been a jaunty rendition of "Jingle Bells," replete with audio effects supplied by audience members with car keys. The musicians were halted in their tracks by the telltale rattle of drums and the wail of bagpipes as two squads of Pensacola's Duncan McCall Pipe Band entered the auditorium and marched down the aisles to the stage.
Fine-looking lads they were, Tartan-clad and sure of step. Onstage they played "O Come All Ye Faithful" and a heartfelt "Amazing Grace." The pipers concluded with an especially touching version of "The Little Drummer Boy," then strode offstage to delighted applause.
As the orchestra resumed its truncated "Sleighride," another surprise awaited. A green-suited Santa and three pretty elves entered, smiling and waving to the crowd. The dashing Kris Kringle made his way toward the orchestra, where he received the baton from Speck and adroitly led the musicians to a big finish. A smiling Speck worked the crowd and handed out Christmas treats from Santa's goodie-bag.
The evening concluded with another cheery tune from the Emerald Isle, Anderson's "The Irish Washerwoman," which sent everyone home with a wee bit o' bounce in their step.
Saturday night's attendance (1,705) was the largest for any Mobile Symphony pops concert; another 650 showed up for the sneak preview that afternoon. Impressive numbers for the orchestra, which concluded its successful half-season at the Mobile Civic Center Theater.
All eyes now turn toward February and Yo-Yo Ma at the remodeled Saenger Theatre. If that event approaches the energy level of "A Celtic Christmas," the world's premier cellist might consider bag pipes for an encore.
||Site Information: ||Design: David Hughes ||Artwork: Dresden Codak