This week's Utah Symphony pops concerts promise to be a little different from your usual set of Broadway melodies.
According to the program's creator and producer, Matthew Inge, next weekend's "Broadway Concert" will have substance and a plot that will allow audiences to enjoy the music more.
In a phone interview from New York, Inge explained that he wanted to do something different with these songs. "I saw that at these symphony pops concerts, the songs weren't representative of Broadway. Everything was just rented out. The conductors would use the same (song) arrangements from the '40s. They'd talk a little bit about the music, then go into the next song."
This approach emphasizes the music over the lyrics, and for Inge that's only the half of it. "On Broadway, the lyric is important. The excitement of what it's all about is there (in the words). So I created a concert that marries the two. And I also thought up a story line to help the audience."
The story in "The Broadway Concert" is a straightforward one. It's a simple tale of two people meeting and falling in love. Along the way, the couple sings 37 songs from some of the biggest Broadway shows of all time, along with a few lesser-known tunes.
"I put everything in enough context to make it work," Inge noted, "and we have enough old songs to make everyone in the audience happy."
Singing this weekend will be two of Broadway's brightest stars, Lisa Vroman and Hugh Panaro. "The singers are just top of the line," said Inge. "Hugh is a sweetheart with a beautiful voice. He was the original Marius in the American production of 'Les Miz,' he sang Ravenal in 'Show Boat,' both on the West End (in London) and on Broadway, and he just finished playing Martin in 'Martin Guerre.' "
As for Vroman, Inge is equally effusive. "Lisa is just phenomenal. She has a spectacular voice, and she sings both Broadway and classical music. She just did a Mozart program with the Florida Symphony, and she sang with the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas in their New Year's Eve concert and in Michael's Stravinsky Festival recently. Right now, Lisa's singing Christine three times a week in 'Phantom' on Broadway."
To give the singers a chance to catch their breath, there will also be a few purely instrumental numbers on the program. The evening will open with the overture to "Gypsy," which Inge considers to be the best orchestral piece written for Broadway. Other instrumental pieces include the "Night Music Waltz," the "Carousel Waltz," the overture to "Funny Girl" ("The second best Broadway orchestral piece ever written," according to Inge), and a new arrangement of "Brotherhood of Man."
"This is a wonderful arrangement (of 'Brotherhood of Man')," Inge acknowledged. "It has a lot of first-chair solos and an over-the-top cadenza for the concertmaster."
Utah Symphony assistant-conductor Scott O'Neill will conduct the show.
"The Broadway Concert" takes place Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7, at 8 p.m. in Abravanel Hall. Tickets are priced from $20-$39 and can be purchased by calling ArtTix at 355-ARTS or 1-888-451-ARTS, or in person at the ArtTix outlets in Abravanel Hall and the Capitol Theatre. Tickets can also be obtained online at ( www.utahsymphony.org). Utah Symphony subscribers and anyone interested in group discounts should call 533-NOTE.
E-MAIL: ereichel@desnews.com