In spite of the pandemic and the cold, rainy weather that has descended on us, the Vancouver Symphony teamed up with jazz clarinetist Ken Peplowski and vocalist Clairdee to create a cheerful and heart-warming holiday concert last Saturday (December 12). The program had a little bit of this and that, extending from Benny Goodman tunes to Christmas-carol-inspired pieces and several soulful numbers from Clairdee. Some of the pieces were played only by the orchestra, others by Peplowski and his band. Sometimes Peplowski would play with the orchestra, and other times Clairdee would join everyone. It was fun just to watch and hear the variety of performances.
The musicians were spread across most of the stage at Skyview Concert Hall guest with conductor Ken Selden and an orchestra of string players plus a harpist in the center. Peplowski and his band (Steven Feifke on piano, Kevin Congleton on drums, and Tim Gilson on bass) were positioned a few feet away to Selden’s left, and Clairdee on his right. Everyone wore a mask except Peplowski and Clairdee, and plexiglass shields were placed in such a way to add even more protection.
Peplowski has a terrific knack for connecting with audiences, even when he can’t see the audience. He introduced several of the pieces with humorous anecdotes that provided a bit of background information. The first number that he played with the orchestra was an arrangement of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” His style loosened the reins on the well-known music, and made me want to reach for a hot toddy. The only thing that didn’t work all that well was his clarinet making the neighing sound at the very end of the piece.
Because Peplowski had performed with Benny Goodman, he told how Goodman was quite the taskmaster during rehearsal and how he often forgot the names of famous guest soloists. That recollection led to a suite of Benny Goodman songs, which Peplowski played with the orchestra. His tone was especially wistful in “Poor Butterfly,” and his displayed a sweeping riff at the end of “The Man I Love. For “My Funny Valentine” he created a sultry tone that contrasted well with the loosey-goosey style of “Don’t Be That Way.”
The orchestra, expertly led by Selden, collaborated with Peplowski to deliver a gentle and soothing “Christmastime is Here,” which is indelibly associated with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” movie. They followed that with an up-tempo arrangement of George Gershwin’s “I’ve Got Rhythm.” It included a seamless segue to the small band before transitioning back to the orchestra for the finish.
With his band, Peplowski delved into a toe-tapping rendition of another Goodman tune, “Avalon,” in which he executed all sorts of tricky runs with ease. He settled things down with a relaxing Rogers and Hart number, “You Took Advantage of Me.” In both pieces his colleagues excelled with their solos, but the bass was unfortunately difficult to hear.
Clairdee caressed several selections with a soulful glow, starting with “This Christmas” in the first half of the program. She put a lot emotion into Irving Berlin’s “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” that made it poignant and then nicely switched things up with a peppy “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
The strings opened the concert with two lively selections (“Pastores a Belen” and “Wassail Song”) from Leroy Anderson’s “Suite of Carols.” Their rendition of Johann Strauss Jr’s “Pizzicato Polka” got the dynamics just right, but the Prelude to Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg Suite” got a tad muddy. Vaughn Williams’ “Fantasia on Greensleeves” received a heart-warming performance with an evocative opening statement by concertmaster Eva Richey and enchanting strumming from harpist Kimberly Taylor.
The small band played a nifty arrangement by pianist Feifke of the “Carol of the Bells,” which of included a brief improvisation by Peplowski. In his introduction to Michel Legrand’s uplifting “You Must Believe in Spring,” Peplowski mentioned that it is a song about hope, which we all need especially at this time.
In the closing number, a Nelson Riddle arrangement of Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” Clairdee warmed us up with the famous “Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire.” Peplowski took a turn on the melody and handed it off to the orchestra, and as the music quieted down at the end, Feifke lightly finished things off with a nicely placed phrased from “Jingle Bells.”
Like the other online broadcasts that the VSO has done, this one featured brief, yet informative interviews with Peplowski and Clairdee during intermission. It also included an enlightening vignette about music therapy at PeaceHealth Medical Group. These extra features help to make the concert more enjoyable, and it would be great if the orchestra could keep some aspect of them after we return to the concert hall some day in the future.
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