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Pops shows its true colors

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  • Pops shows its true colors

    Boston Herald, MA
    June 13 2005

    Pops shows its true colors
    By Keith Powers
    Monday, June 13, 2005 - Updated: 01:10 AM EST

    The Boston Pops, America's quintessential musical patriots, began
    celebrating Flag Day three days early on Saturday evening. Principal
    guest conductor Bruce Hangen led the orchestra, a trimmed down
    Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and several soloists in the refreshingly
    cool confines of Symphony Hall on this sweltering summer night.

    Full disclosure: Patriotic displays of almost any kind incite profound
    ambivalence in this listener. A full-page ad opposite the program notes
    for something called the "Association of Former Intelligence Officers"
    (ever seen that before?) heightened my terror alert before a single
    note was fired. The presence of Daniel Rodriguez, a New York City cop
    whose singing career launched just after 9/11, had me at code orange.

    Mercifully, "Love it or leave it" tendencies were tempered greatly by
    mixing the Americana portion of the bill with the Pops' annual Armenian
    night. Oud master John Bilezikjian treated the largely ethnic crowd
    to a Vivaldi lute concerto, a delightful arrangement of Albeniz's
    "Leyenda," and Khachaturian's familiar "Saber Dance."

    The oud - lute-like with a larger bowl and shorter, straight neck
    -has delicately soft textures, and so had to be amplified. Using an
    amplified folk instrument over ambient classical instruments made
    for tricky pitches and risky sonic textures in some spots. But
    Bilezikjian's virtuosity and dynamic phrasing made a winning
    combination.

    A musical version of "Hayr Mer" ("The Lord's Prayer"), conducted
    movingly by the Very Reverend Father Oshagan Minassian from his
    wheelchair, brought the Armenian cultural section to a close.

    (Armenians and many others in attendance stood with respectful
    attention during "Hayr Mer"; curiously, many Neanderthals did not.)

    Rodriguez, self-proclaimed in his bio as "America's Favorite Tenor," is
    just that. A tenor. His sense of bravura and overwhelming volume could
    not hide the evidence: He might consider going back to the old beat
    in Flatbush. His career is certainly one of the lesser evils spawned
    by the infamous attacks, but that seems small reason for it to blossom.

    But as does happen from time to time, this listener was clearly a
    minority of one, to judge from the raucous appreciation Rodriguez
    received from the sold-out hall. Even the Neanderthals were standing
    when Rodriguez came out for one last patriotic encore, an unsurprise
    attack on "God Bless America."
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