The Mormons, Their Tabernacle

[Snow]

Last night I went to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (Sergerstrom Hall) in southern California. They did three performance Fri, and Sat and were sold out but somehow I was lucky to be a guest of the Choir and snagged some reserved tickets - at least that's one good thing about being Mormon.

Though the Choir tours the world and sings for the Olympics, kings, presidents, Star Trek conventions in Hoboken New Jersey, Future Farmers of America luncheons, Communtist Party Teas, Top Secret Alien Life on Earth Symposiums, you name it, they have never been to Orange County but came down to commerorate the Philharmonic Society's 50 anniversary.

...anyway, they - what Ronald Regan called America's Choir were spectacular

They sang hymns of praise, masterwork chorals, folk music, songs of America, and did a couple songs as a nod to Music and the Spoken Word (their 75 year , longest broadcast program in the World). They started with the Star Spangled Banner, ending with Battle Hymn of the Republic. Of course after that they had three encores, and three standing ovations and finally wrapped with God Be With You Till We Meet Again.

For any choir, much less a choir of 360 their tight precision and subtlety is phenomenal. They brought the Orchestra at Temple Square with them. My favorites were Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (made me cry), Betelehemu - a Nigerian folk song that really rocked - got a standing ovation - Battle of Jericho, and Come, Come, Ye Saints, though everything was lovely. They did some George Cohan and Climb Every Mountain.

It was huge, huge I tell you and if you are in Salt Lake, you should see them for free and if they come to your town, you should make the effort to see them - PURE CLASS!

[Guest Starsky]

Being I live here in Utah...I hear them every Sunday while listening to the 'Spoken Word' on TV...

I too enjoy them...of course I don't get the symphony...just that big organ thingy...

[Behunin]

Originally posted by Snow@Mar 28 2004, 10:59 AM

...anyway, they - what Ronald Regan called America's Choir were spectacular

I have always liked Ronald Regan

BTW, I was born in Orange county. Anaheim.

[AFDaw]

Spencer was born in OC. Fountain Valley.

[naomi]

A silly question: Where did the nickname Tabby come from for the MoTab? Sounds like a fun evening. :)

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Snow -- Where were your seats? I was at the same performance. The tickets were supposedly sold out by the time I went to get some, but my mother in law (who volunteers as a Segerstrom Hall usher) managed to get one up in the cheap seats (third tier, with two railings partially blocking my view of half the choir). We managed at the last minute to find one other ticket in the first tier, so my wife and I spent the first half of the concert in different sections. A friendly usher found us two unoccupied first tier seats together after the intermission. We were over on the left side, about ten rows up from the orchestra seating.

I loved the Rachmaninoff "Rejoice, O Virgin." The choir did an incredible job of capturing the Russian-style deep bass line.

It was a kick when Lloyd Newell asked the choir members who were married to each other to stand up -- and then quipped that, for anyone who was trying to do a quick count, the numbers of men and women did, in fact, come out equal.

When the choir let Henry Segerstrom (local bigwig, for those of you beyond the Santa Anas and the San Gabriel) conduct, I whispered to my wife that if I were a guest conductor, I'd be tempted to make the choir hold the last note a really, really long time. And maybe call for a solo or two by some hapless occupant of the choir's front row.

[Snow]

PD,

By the time I committed to going it was sold out, but luckily we snagged some tickets reserved for guests of the choir. We were in the first tier, row O one the left side as you face the stage.

I noticed that the large alcohol bar in the lobby wasn't doing nearly its normal business.

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Snow -- Cool. Then you were looking at the back of my head. I was in first tier row J, left side.

[Snow]

Originally posted by TheProudDuck@Mar 29 2004, 10:56 AM

Snow -- Cool. Then you were looking at the back of my head. I was in first tier row J, left side.

That's so weird, my wife keep saying, "Honey, what's with the fat head in row J? He's scaring me."

[Guest TheProudDuck]

Originally posted by Snow+Mar 29 2004, 11:00 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Snow @ Mar 29 2004, 11:00 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Mar 29 2004, 10:56 AM

Snow -- Cool.  Then you were looking at the back of my head.  I was in first tier row J, left side.

That's so weird, my wife keep saying, "Honey, what's with the fat head in row J? He's scaring me."

That must have been my old stake president, sitting next to me.

[Guest Starsky]

ROFL!

[Kevin]

Originally posted by Snow+Mar 29 2004, 11:00 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Snow @ Mar 29 2004, 11:00 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--TheProudDuck@Mar 29 2004, 10:56 AM

Snow -- Cool.  Then you were looking at the back of my head.  I was in first tier row J, left side.

That's so weird, my wife keep saying, "Honey, what's with the fat head in row J? He's scaring me."

ROTFLOL!!!!!

[Guest curvette]

Speaking of the MTC...I saw their giganto billboard on the Las Vegas strip yesterday. We had a four hour layover and thought we'd go to lunch at the Rainforest cafe. It looked very prim and proper next to all those half nekked showgirl billboards...

[Snow]

You have to register but here is a review and some excerts:

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/arti...cle.do?id=87817

...it was a sound spectacle that no recording can capture.

There is something almost military about the singing, the crisp, upright rhythms, the clean entrances and cutoffs, the phrases that march exactly to their goals, the clear diction..

And yet a considerable charm is also apparent in the performances. In patriotic numbers, hymns, folk music and classical masterworks, one senses the earnestness and enthusiasm of the singers...few such can boast the polish of the Tabernacle Choir. The choir does a bang-up fortissimo, never forced, but its soft singing might be even better, a true shimmer and glow.

..."Music and the Spoken Word," and was thus hosted by the show's announcer, Lloyd Newell, a man so soothing of voice that he could no doubt sell you the Brooklyn Bridge if he put his mind to it. He did tell a pretty good Mormon joke, slyly. After the married partners in the choir had stood up and sat down again, he said: "Now, if you counted real fast that should have come out even," and waited for the implication to dawn.

...A visual and aural highlight was the performance of "Betelehemu," a Nigerian folk song, complete with a line of bow-tied conga players, eye-startling hand choreography and joyful yip-yips. An arsenal of hand bells, played by choir members, were deliciously added to some numbers.

The choir's effectiveness is at times undermined by the arrangements it sings – many of them by associate director Mack Wilberg – which are slick and commercial with their Barry Manilow modulations, harp glissandos and cymbal whooshes. In folk and patriotic songs, simpler is always more tasteful.

The choir offered three encores: "Climb Every Mountain," "This Land is Your Land" and, with conductors, band, organists and master of ceremonies joining in, a touching a cappella account of "God be with you 'til we meet again." As another old song goes, "How can there be any sin in sincere?"

[Snow]

You can read about the concert in the most recent Church News - week ending April 4th.

My wife recently renewed our Church subscriptions which had expired. She signed up for everything that she saw on the list. So now I get the Liahona in a language that is so odd, that I can't even guess what it might be.