Pops' Bernstein tribute only taste of his legacy
Leonard Bernstein is in many ways the perfect subject for a Boston Pops tribute program - the local boy (Lawrence-born, Boston Latin- and Harvard-educated) who made good, and who wrote some of the most famous and best-loved music in the history of the Broadway stage.
The orchestra rolled out its tribute Friday night and performed it three times this weekend. (I caught Saturday night's performance.) The crowd - packed with alumni of Northeastern University and Regis College - seemed well-entertained. The main offerings on the first half were two suites, one from the composer's ballet "Fancy Free," and one from "On the Waterfront."
The latter featured some the best orchestral playing of the night as Keith Lockhart drew a richly characterized, appropriately moody reading of the score, with Richard Sebring dispatching a pure-toned and evocative horn solo. Stills from the original film were projected above the orchestra in a way that, to me at least, distracted more than it added. The second half was animated by the abundant singing and dancing talent of the musical theater students at Boston Conservatory. After the orchestra's slightly breathless reading of the orchestral Overture to "Candide," these gifted students performed what you might call a Bernstein on Broadway tasting menu, with short selections from "On the Town," "Wonderful Town," "West Side Story," and "Candide."
The student performances ranged from good to excellent, and Boston Conservatory is clearly doing something right in its training. Among the best was Raquel Sandler, who sang "A Little Bit in Love" with a fine voice and real sense of presence. After the Broadway set, there were lively encores with balloons falling from the ceiling, and the obligatory "Stars and Stripes Forever."
Throughout, Lockhart's narration from stage was clear but cursory. A film screened, "For Lenny," was nothing more than a montage of photos projected above the orchestra. This was clearly not conceived as an evening for learning anything new about an all-American icon or his legacy. It was not even designed as a representative survey of the full body of work that made him who he was. It was seen only as a chance to reprise some greatest hits from his stage career.
But it was still hard to miss a deeper irony, as Bernstein himself was the figure who showed that reaching out to the widest audiences of music lovers could be done with both style and substance, with entertainment values and with subtlety. There is a greater need than ever for the Boston Pops as an orchestra that can make the concert hall inviting to all generations, and that can make its walls more porous. But as this venerable institution works to reinvent itself for the 21st century, it would do well to grapple with Bernstein's actual vision of eloquent, impassioned musical populism. That's not a process undertaken in one concert, but it would be the most fitting tribute of all.
Jeremy Eichler can be reached at jeichler@globe.com. 