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SRobin6053@aol.com
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 Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:38 pm Post subject: Des Moines Register Review of Amy's Concert |
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SRobin6053@aol.com
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject: Re: Des Moines Register Review of Amy's Concert |
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On Sep 23, 12:38 pm, "SRobin6...@aol.com" <SRobin6...@aol.com> wrote:
| Quote: | http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/....
|
The text:
Vocalist Grant leaves fans wowed
By BRUCE CARR • Special to the Register • September 23, 2008
It was something of a nice surprise when Nashville, Tenn., singer/
songwriter Amy Grant brought her attractive charm and voice to the
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines stage Saturday night to star in the
Des Moines Symphony's gala season-opening concert.
Previous galas have featured more classical artists and repertory.
This crossover turned out to be just as exciting, delighting old and
new symphony-goers with Grant's talent and her thrill in being
surrounded by orchestral music.
Surprising also was the amount of non-Nashville music integrated into
the evening: movie music of John Williams, works from George Gershwin
and Aaron Copland, and the concert's grand concluding number "Joyful,
Joyful, We Adore Thee" - a tune by Beethoven from the "Ode to Joy"
finale of his Ninth Symphony.
Symphony conductor Joseph Giunta made a brief appearance at the start
of the second half, introducing himself as Vince Gill - Grant's
country-singer husband, who was performing in Mason City that evening
- and, more seriously, thanking the sponsors of the gala concert.
Grant appeared in classical concert black, a plain, short halter-
dress, strumming an amplified acoustic guitar, backed by her seven-
piece ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as a half-
dozen or so full orchestral charts conducted by David Hamilton.
She began with several of her hits: "Stay for a While," "Saved By
Love," "Out in the Open," "House of Love," and "Lucky One" - which she
characterized as a "mindless pop ditty" but performed with
irresistible zest.
Toward the end of her first set, Grant turned to some of the Christian-
rock and gospel songs that first gained her national attention: "If I
Could See What the Angels See," featuring a very stylish lick from
symphony concertmaster Jonathan Sturm; "Thy Word," obviously an
audience favorite; and "Jesus Loves Me/They'll Know We're Christians
By Our Love."
In an evening of mostly Grant's own tunes, a couple of songs written
by fellow artists who have influenced and inspired her stood out: Joni
Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" and Jimmy Webb's "If These Walls Could
Talk."
Throughout the evening, Grant engaged the audience with stories of her
family, her song-writing career, and reflections on life, health,
endurance and forgiveness.
A special highlight of the evening - which culminated in a heartfelt
standing ovation - was Grant's introduction of her friend and personal
trainer, Ruth McGinnis. McGinnis, who trained as a classical violinist
at Juilliard and who is a sister of symphony principal cellist Julie
McGinnis Sturm, is a two-time cancer survivor and a regular
collaborator with Grant and many famous Nashville musicians.
She spoke briefly of her days playing chamber music at the Ashokan
summer camps in the Adirondacks.
She then played with stunning simplicity an arrangement of Jay Unger's
now-famous tune "Ashokan Farewell," which Ken Burns later used
throughout his "Civil War" series on PBS. It almost stopped the show.
The second half included more of the big Grant hits: "Baby Baby,"
which first sent her to the top of the charts as a solo artist, in
1991; "The Power;" "Innocence Lost;" and "El Shaddai," so popular that
it is now included in several modern hymnals.
The evening's Irish undercurrent then erupted in Robert Lowry's old
hymn, "Marching to Zion," arranged for solo bagpipes and played by
Skip Cleavinger, with the full orchestra making a mighty noise before
concluding with the Beethoven finale.
A truly energizing and inspiring kick-off for the symphony season. |
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Robby Rob
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:29 am Post subject: Re: Des Moines Register Review of Amy's Concert |
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On Sep 23, 11:44 am, "SRobin6...@aol.com" <SRobin6...@aol.com> wrote:
| Quote: | On Sep 23, 12:38 pm, "SRobin6...@aol.com" <SRobin6...@aol.com> wrote:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/....
The text:
Vocalist Grant leaves fans wowed
By BRUCE CARR • Special to the Register • September 23, 2008
It was something of a nice surprise when Nashville, Tenn., singer/
songwriter Amy Grant brought her attractive charm and voice to the
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines stage Saturday night to star in the
Des Moines Symphony's gala season-opening concert.
Previous galas have featured more classical artists and repertory.
This crossover turned out to be just as exciting, delighting old and
new symphony-goers with Grant's talent and her thrill in being
surrounded by orchestral music.
Surprising also was the amount of non-Nashville music integrated into
the evening: movie music of John Williams, works from George Gershwin
and Aaron Copland, and the concert's grand concluding number "Joyful,
Joyful, We Adore Thee" - a tune by Beethoven from the "Ode to Joy"
finale of his Ninth Symphony.
Symphony conductor Joseph Giunta made a brief appearance at the start
of the second half, introducing himself as Vince Gill - Grant's
country-singer husband, who was performing in Mason City that evening
- and, more seriously, thanking the sponsors of the gala concert.
Grant appeared in classical concert black, a plain, short halter-
dress, strumming an amplified acoustic guitar, backed by her seven-
piece ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as a half-
dozen or so full orchestral charts conducted by David Hamilton.
She began with several of her hits: "Stay for a While," "Saved By
Love," "Out in the Open," "House of Love," and "Lucky One" - which she
characterized as a "mindless pop ditty" but performed with
irresistible zest.
Toward the end of her first set, Grant turned to some of the Christian-
rock and gospel songs that first gained her national attention: "If I
Could See What the Angels See," featuring a very stylish lick from
symphony concertmaster Jonathan Sturm; "Thy Word," obviously an
audience favorite; and "Jesus Loves Me/They'll Know We're Christians
By Our Love."
In an evening of mostly Grant's own tunes, a couple of songs written
by fellow artists who have influenced and inspired her stood out: Joni
Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" and Jimmy Webb's "If These Walls Could
Talk."
Throughout the evening, Grant engaged the audience with stories of her
family, her song-writing career, and reflections on life, health,
endurance and forgiveness.
A special highlight of the evening - which culminated in a heartfelt
standing ovation - was Grant's introduction of her friend and personal
trainer, Ruth McGinnis. McGinnis, who trained as a classical violinist
at Juilliard and who is a sister of symphony principal cellist Julie
McGinnis Sturm, is a two-time cancer survivor and a regular
collaborator with Grant and many famous Nashville musicians.
She spoke briefly of her days playing chamber music at the Ashokan
summer camps in the Adirondacks.
She then played with stunning simplicity an arrangement of Jay Unger's
now-famous tune "Ashokan Farewell," which Ken Burns later used
throughout his "Civil War" series on PBS. It almost stopped the show.
The second half included more of the big Grant hits: "Baby Baby,"
which first sent her to the top of the charts as a solo artist, in
1991; "The Power;" "Innocence Lost;" and "El Shaddai," so popular that
it is now included in several modern hymnals.
The evening's Irish undercurrent then erupted in Robert Lowry's old
hymn, "Marching to Zion," arranged for solo bagpipes and played by
Skip Cleavinger, with the full orchestra making a mighty noise before
concluding with the Beethoven finale.
A truly energizing and inspiring kick-off for the symphony season.
|
Wow. Marching to Zion? I never thought she'd do that one live. |
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Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:50 am Post subject: Re: Des Moines Register Review of Amy's Concert |
|
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On Sep 23, 11:44 am, "SRobin6...@aol.com" <SRobin6...@aol.com> wrote:
| Quote: | On Sep 23, 12:38 pm, "SRobin6...@aol.com" <SRobin6...@aol.com> wrote:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/....
The text:
Vocalist Grant leaves fans wowed
By BRUCE CARR • Special to the Register • September 23, 2008
It was something of a nice surprise when Nashville, Tenn., singer/
songwriter Amy Grant brought her attractive charm and voice to the
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines stage Saturday night to star in the
Des Moines Symphony's gala season-opening concert.
Previous galas have featured more classical artists and repertory.
This crossover turned out to be just as exciting, delighting old and
new symphony-goers with Grant's talent and her thrill in being
surrounded by orchestral music.
Surprising also was the amount of non-Nashville music integrated into
the evening: movie music of John Williams, works from George Gershwin
and Aaron Copland, and the concert's grand concluding number "Joyful,
Joyful, We Adore Thee" - a tune by Beethoven from the "Ode to Joy"
finale of his Ninth Symphony.
Symphony conductor Joseph Giunta made a brief appearance at the start
of the second half, introducing himself as Vince Gill - Grant's
country-singer husband, who was performing in Mason City that evening
- and, more seriously, thanking the sponsors of the gala concert.
Grant appeared in classical concert black, a plain, short halter-
dress, strumming an amplified acoustic guitar, backed by her seven-
piece ensemble of vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as a half-
dozen or so full orchestral charts conducted by David Hamilton.
She began with several of her hits: "Stay for a While," "Saved By
Love," "Out in the Open," "House of Love," and "Lucky One" - which she
characterized as a "mindless pop ditty" but performed with
irresistible zest.
Toward the end of her first set, Grant turned to some of the Christian-
rock and gospel songs that first gained her national attention: "If I
Could See What the Angels See," featuring a very stylish lick from
symphony concertmaster Jonathan Sturm; "Thy Word," obviously an
audience favorite; and "Jesus Loves Me/They'll Know We're Christians
By Our Love."
In an evening of mostly Grant's own tunes, a couple of songs written
by fellow artists who have influenced and inspired her stood out: Joni
Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" and Jimmy Webb's "If These Walls Could
Talk."
Throughout the evening, Grant engaged the audience with stories of her
family, her song-writing career, and reflections on life, health,
endurance and forgiveness.
A special highlight of the evening - which culminated in a heartfelt
standing ovation - was Grant's introduction of her friend and personal
trainer, Ruth McGinnis. McGinnis, who trained as a classical violinist
at Juilliard and who is a sister of symphony principal cellist Julie
McGinnis Sturm, is a two-time cancer survivor and a regular
collaborator with Grant and many famous Nashville musicians.
She spoke briefly of her days playing chamber music at the Ashokan
summer camps in the Adirondacks.
She then played with stunning simplicity an arrangement of Jay Unger's
now-famous tune "Ashokan Farewell," which Ken Burns later used
throughout his "Civil War" series on PBS. It almost stopped the show.
The second half included more of the big Grant hits: "Baby Baby,"
which first sent her to the top of the charts as a solo artist, in
1991; "The Power;" "Innocence Lost;" and "El Shaddai," so popular that
it is now included in several modern hymnals.
The evening's Irish undercurrent then erupted in Robert Lowry's old
hymn, "Marching to Zion," arranged for solo bagpipes and played by
Skip Cleavinger, with the full orchestra making a mighty noise before
concluding with the Beethoven finale.
A truly energizing and inspiring kick-off for the symphony season.
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After 23 yrs of listening to Amy's music we finally got to see her
live. She did a great job!
Michelle |
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