Review: The New York Pops Bestows Carnegie Hall With A PLACE CALLED HOME

Last night was the kick-off of the annual New York Pops holiday concert at Carnegie Hall.  The production will have a second performance tonight, December 20th, at 8 pm (ticket link HERE), and this writer can genuinely say that the December 19th offerings left me and my friends and family firmly in the spirit.  Let’s face it, we’ve all been inundated with Christmas sights and sounds for weeks now - I, myself, have been listening to Christmas music since November 1st, for a project on which I’ve been working.  So, personally speaking, I should already be in the holiday spirit, and maybe I am… but when I left Carnegie Hall last night, I really and truly WAS feeling the season.   And it’s not that Maestro Reineke did anything particularly different last night, and it’s not that the programming for this year’s holiday concert went in a new direction, because this is an evening that is consistently great, year in and year out.  The New York Pops puts on a sensational holiday show each season, filled with quality entertainment, uplifting Christmas carols, and festive Christmas songs, with Steven Reineke always bringing his quirky humor and unquestionable humanity to the proceedings, and always with a starry headliner.  That is exactly what we got last night.

The concert, titled A PLACE CALLED HOME (it’s a song from the Alan Menken/Lynn Ahrens version of A Christmas Carol), was headlined by twice Tony-nominated actress Megan Hilty, a mass of grace and glamor with the voice of a true Broadway powerhouse.  Maestro Reineke’s conducting was as vivacious and animated as ever, despite limitations placed on him by a slip and fall on the winter ice that left him cane-assisted.  The Santa Claus visit this season was filled with laughs, as the Jolly Old Elf improved his way into some comedic moments that left even Hilty and Reineke a bit giggly.  And the musical program featured magnificently arranged performances of seasonal songs from Broadway, Hollywood, the Christmas canon, and the church.  It was a marvelous evening, made even more so by the elegance and history that come with simply walking through the doors of Carnegie Hall.  Steven Reineke took the time to mention that he always schedules a Pops performance of “Carol of the Bells” to show solidarity with Ukraine (the song’s composer, Mykola Leontovych, was Ukrainian), and to speak out against antisemitism before bringing out Essential Voices Director Judith Clurman to conduct her own composition (with David Chase) “Chanukah Joy and Peace” - both moments that inspired tumultuous applause.  So, with this abundance of beauty in artistry, what was it that so strongly sent my family and me into the night air of December, so intensely feeling the spirit of the season?

Essential Voices USA.

Friends, there is nothing like great choral singing, and, even more so, nothing like great choral singing centered around Christmas music.  This year, at Carnegie Hall, Essential Voices USA was operating at an extremely high vibration.  Every single song to which the choir contributed was breathtaking, whether it was a lively (and inventive!) arrangement of Jerry Herman’s “We Need a Little Christmas” or (a kind of forgotten) “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas” written by John Williams for the movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.  With the always extraordinary New York Pops providing sublime musical backing (the string section carried particular emotional weight last night), every vocalist performing was raised up high for their own artistic achievement, but it has to be said that the Essential Voices USA performance of “The First Noel” was probably the most beautiful version this writer and lover of Christmas music has ever heard.  Even opening number “Deck The Halls” (a song nobody needs to hear, ever) was lustrous and lovely in the hands of the good folks of Essential Voices USA - this rote and routine Christmas song was exciting and exhilarating!  The choir was on fire, the whole night long.

As for the marvelous Ms. Hilty, she was charming in her every presence - elegant, whimsical, and moving with her performances of everything from Christmas classics like “Winter Wonderland” to an appropriately arranged (no spoilers for tonight’s audience) “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” but it was Megan’s performance of the Joni Mitchell composition “River” that was, alone, worth the price of admission.  This was the perfect marriage of arrangement, accompaniment, and acting, all wrapped around her glorious singing voice, and even though her “A Place Called Home” was lovely, and her “O Holy Night” epic (standing ovation), there was something special about the performance of “River” that seemed to resonate from a personal place within.  It was unforgettable, and a real gift to those of us lucky enough to be there to witness it.

Rounding out the evening was a fun moment for everyone - getting to see an emerging talent in the music world, Andrea Reiser, make her Carnegie Hall conducting debut.  The winner of a fundraising auction, Ms. Reiser executed her guest duties with joy, looking resplendent in a copper-colored evening gown, as she led New York’s greatest orchestra through “Santa’s Epic Ride,” featuring Maestro Reinke on some pretty important percussion.   A Place Called Home was just what we all needed - an evening of heartfelt entertainment ideally suited for sending us all into that final week before Santa’s big night, made magnificent by all of the talents on the Carnegie Hall stage, just as it is every holiday season, which is why we all keep going back.  If there are still tickets for tonight’s show, put on your most festive outfit (it’s Carnegie Hall - dress up!) and go spend the evening with Megan Hilty, Steven Reineke, and some really spectacular music makers.

Tickets for the 12/20 performance are HERE.

Visit the Carnegie Hall website HERE.

Visit the Essential Voices USA website HERE and the New York Pops website HERE.

Megan Hilty has an online presence HERE and THIS is Judith Clurman’s website.

Photos by Genevieve Rafter Keddy, who is on Facebook HERE.