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Songs in
the South, Part Two
(Live
from the Tabernacle Choir)
by Robb Cundick
A
journal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Southern States Tour continues...
We
happened upon this LDS Church on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans.
My last entry
was Sunday evening in New Orleans. It is now the evening of Day
Five (Tuesday) and we have arrived in Birmingham, Alabama. This
is one of the few evenings with nothing scheduled. The break is
welcome after a long bus ride from New Orleans.
In New
Orleans
Monday morning
there was time for a little sightseeing. My traveling companion,
Tom Porter and I decided to pass up the bus tour taken by most of
the Choir and do something on our own. We took a trolley ride to
Carrolton, enjoying the leisurely pace and a breeze from wide-open
windows. It made the heat and humidity more tolerable to people
accustomed to dry desert air. On the way back we got off to stroll
along St. Charles Avenue and look at beautiful old homes. We were
excited to come upon a handsome little LDS Church - too bad the
door was locked.
Side
entrance to the Saenger Theatre echoes a more elegant time.
The concert
was in historic Saenger Theater, built in 1927. Its interior was
adorned with restored Italian Renaissance décor, but the
exterior has seen better days. We were made to feel very welcome
- the Governor of Louisiana and Mayor of New Orleans declared it,
"Mormon Tabernacle Choir Day" and we were treated to a full police
escort from hotel to theater. But whether due to the locale, steep
ticket prices, lack of marketing, or a combination the three, this
concert didn't sell well. [I asked Choir Manager Brent Peterson
about ticket prices and learned the Choir has little control over
them - the hall managements dictate them]. The downstairs seats
were mostly empty - the main audience was high up in the balcony.
In my 11 years
with the Choir I have not experienced sparse attendance very often,
but it does seem to happen once or twice on a longer tour. It is
difficult not to let such a disappointment affect our performance,
but I try to think of it as an opportunity to test my dedication
to the principle of "reaching the one." If I am to emulate the Savior
in my regard for each and every child of God then my effort should
be just as great for an audience of one as it would be for a thousand
or even the millions we will perform for in the 2002 Winter Olympics.
I don't know
how others in the Choir motivate themselves, but by whatever means,
there was absolutely no letdown at this concert. Brother Jessop
seemed if anything to enter the stage with more energy than usual.
The technical people had done a remarkable job with the sound system.
Despite the fact that the old hall did not have great acoustics,
the performance was again stirring. I left with a feeling of elation,
and the audience seemed to as well. Thanks be to the Lord for helping
us accomplish something worthwhile despite less than ideal conditions
in two of the three concerts so far.
Choir
Director Dr. Craig Jessop speaks with a Choir Member.
Singing
Under Dr. Jessop
I don't think
my series about this tour would be complete without some detail
on our conductors, so I'll take a moment to talk about Craig Jessop.
Have you ever seen a man dance with 175 ladies at once? It is a
phenomenon I have witnessed repeatedly of late, for that is what
happens when Craig conducts the women in Bach's "We Hasten Thee".
The interaction between them is a joy to watch. Craig leans forward
to evoke intensity when entering a musical phrase, then draws back
to ask for a slight relaxation before passing on to the next. His
right hand beats precise rhythm while the left cajoles, cautions
and coaxes as if leading a partner around the dance floor. His face
radiates delight, and though I cannot see their faces I am confident
the sisters return the sentiment. It is evident in the rich, glowing
unity of their sound.
During a concert
the temperament of Craig's baton can go all the way from the delicate
and playful I have described to the fiery and bold movements required
by the opening and closing numbers. But whatever the mood, he always
engages us with focused intensity. He never allows us to slacken
or take any piece for granted. You can tell how hard he works from
the beads of sweat that seem to multiply no matter how often he
wipes them.
Perhaps an adjective
such as "energy" ought to be Craig's middle name. I think the Lord
decided to make him shorter than average, then convert the leftover
matter to energy, mix with two parts TNT and combine everything
into a person of limitless vitality. To meet the increased challenges
of the new millennium, the Choir has been blessed with a director
who has not only helped us lengthen our stride, but also increased
our pace. He is able to keep things fun while still demanding our
very best. He is well suited in every way to build upon the excellent
foundation erected by his predecessors.
Robert
Lentz at his beloved Timpani.
On the
Road to Birmingham
On the bus ride
today we were entertained and inspired by a monologue from Robert
Lentz, the timpanist of the orchestra at Temple Square. The Choir
has always had its share of interesting and colorful personalities
and the orchestra now adds its contribution to the plate. At 71
years, Bob is the oldest member of both Choir and Orchestra. He
is a distinguished looking gentleman with snow-white hair, mustache
and a trademark goatee.
Any Utah Symphony
fan from the days when their home was the Salt Lake Tabernacle will
remember Bob Lentz. When a musical score calls for emphasis, it
is most often the timpanist who provides the exclamation point.
But Bob supplied drama not only in sound - he delighted the eye
as well. No one besides Maestro Maurice Abravanel was as animated
as he; I have never beheld a more striking figure at those "kettle
drums". Even today he spins the drum mallets between hard and soft
ends with the ease and flare of a gunfighter showing off a pair
of six-shooters.
But who would
guess that Bob was once a child movie star? He was one of the kids
in the "Our Gang" movies made between 1934 and 1936 (later serialized
on TV as "The Little Rascals"). I'll never forget how Spanky and
the rest of the Gang made me laugh - they were as big a staple as
Howdy Doody. Bob's stage name was "Spike"; he grew up with such
child stars as Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, and Roddy McDowell.
When bright camera lights threatened damage to his eyes, he changed
course to pursue to a musical career.
Bob did not
join the Church until his forties - long after coming to Utah to
join the Symphony. He described how he was once Mr. Abravanel's
"cigar-smoking buddy." One day the missionaries knocked and he let
them in out of casual curiosity. But though he liked them and let
them present the discussions, he had no intention of joining the
Church. However he continued to see them and "wore out four sets
of them." Then one day, while he was literally in the process of
telling the latest Elders, "I will never join the Church,"
he heard a voice saying, "You need to join the Church!" Defiant,
he replied in his mind, "But I don't want to join the [expletive]
Church!" The voice was insistent and said again, "You need
to join the Church!" Taken aback, he realized this was an epiphany
not to be denied, and abruptly changed his mind. "You never saw
a more shocked pair of missionaries," he said.
Robert
Lentz and wife Lori. Bob is the Timpanist for the Orchestra at Temple
Square.
He went on to
relate a more recent experience involving President Hinckley. After
joining the Orchestra at Temple Square [Bob had retired from the
Symphony many years ago], he was warming up for the first concert
when he saw President Hinckley sitting behind him under the balcony
of the Tabernacle. "President," he said, "you could sit anywhere
- why did you choose to sit here?" "Well, actually, as a boy I always
wanted to play the drums, so I thought it would be interesting to
sit here and watch," the Prophet replied. Brother Lentz said, "President,
I'm going to dedicate my performance in this first piece - Death
and Transfiguration by Strauss - to you." Quick as
a wink President Hinckley retorted, "Brother Lentz, I certainly
hope that is not some kind of omen!"
Bob concluded
by saying with a twinkle in his eye that since Choir members are
allowed to serve for 20 years he plans to continue until he is ninety
(unlike the Choir, there is no age limit in the Orchestra). In the
meantime he'll train up his three-year-old son to take his place
(yes - this young-at-heart man has a younger wife and two small
children). But he became emotional when he concluded by saying that
of all the things he has done as a musician, playing in the Orchestra
at Temple Square is the most significant and meaningful.
[If you get
the chance, come see the Orchestra at Temple Square either at a
Tabernacle Choir Concert or when they perform on their own (upcoming
concerts are announced on the Church web site). I guarantee you
will have fun watching Bob Lentz and his latest "Gang".]
Birmingham
It is now the
morning of Day Seven (Thursday). We are on a short leg of the tour
- Birmingham to Atlanta. The concert last night was at the Birmingham
Civic Center Concert Hall, right across the street from our hotel.
In the afternoon
we taped "Music and the Spoken Word" before a small audience. It
turned out to be an unusually tedious experience. When held in the
Tabernacle the broadcast is live, so the downbeat comes at 9:30
AM no matter what. Since this was not a live performance, we had
three or four false starts before getting beyond the first piece.
Afterwards we also repeated a few short portions. By the time we
were done the hot television lights had cooked us to the "well done"
stage.
Taping
of Music and the Spoken Word (Birmingham, Alabama).
Over 2,000 people
came to our concert and something hilarious happened at the end;
it is very timely because the perpetrator was none other than Bob
Lentz. Just as he hit his final beat (a gigantic smash at the end
of "Battle Hymn") the white head of his drum mallet broke off and
rotated wildly as it flew high into the air and landed in the audience.
The audience broke into applause and laughter at the same time!
Bob calmly held up the remaining sharp end of the stick as if it
was all part of the performance. We enjoyed a good laugh as we acknowledged
the audience.
But in the end,
each concert finishes on a more personal and spiritual note with
Choir, Conductors, Organists and Orchestra singing, "God Be With
You 'Til We Meet Again." Our hearts reach out to the audience as
we look to their faces. In areas where we know there are Spanish-speakers
we sing a verse in that language as well. Church members in the
audience often join with us and we feel a special bond as fellow
brothers and sisters. We hope all of the audience feels enfolded
by this love and pray that all of us will indeed one day "meet at
Jesus' feet."
With the hotel
so close, we were able to linger and greet people longer than usual.
I was particularly impressed with the friendliness of the people
of Birmingham. Everyone was so outgoing and vocal in their praise
and thanks to us. My roommate Tom was tickled by a woman who said,
"y'all did so gooood!" I was pleased to hear a brother exclaim,
"you really brought the Church a step forward in Alabama today!"
That is our greatest wish for each performance.
Atlanta
The day has
passed and it is late night in Atlanta. It has been a remarkable
day - one of both aggravation and triumph. Perhaps this will turn
out to be the most memorable day of the tour. We arrived at the
beautiful Westin Hotel at 2:30 PM after an interesting stop at the
Martin Luther King Memorial followed by a quick bus tour of Atlanta.
The hotel was not prepared for us. A fortunate few got their keys
and went to their rooms, while most of us stood around for an hour
only to hop back on the buses and head to the rehearsal.
At beautiful
Fox Theater, a sober Craig Jessop cautioned us not to let frustration
with the hotel situation distract us from our performance. We could
tell he felt anxious and the reason was clear: until his death a
few years ago Atlanta was home to Craig's mentor, the great Robert
Shaw; beloved Dean of American Choral Music. Brother Jessop reminded
us there would be many members of the Atlanta Symphony Chorus in
the audience. There is no city in the country where we would be
compared against a higher standard. Mack Wilberg added to our determination
by saying he felt we still had a better performance of the delicate,
O Magnum Mysterium in us. He added that the missing ingredient
must come from our hearts.
Homage
to our "Stars." [But what's with the spelling of 'Wilberg'?]
But we were
not finished with frustration at the Westin Hotel. Since the quantity
of luggage on a two-week tour is too large for the bus baggage compartments
we must place most of it in the corridor each night. It is transported
overnight to our next hotel and taken to our rooms as soon as possible.
When we returned from rehearsal and finally reached our room, the
luggage was not there; after dinner it had still not arrived. Departure
for the concert was 7 PM but mine arrived 10 minutes late. I hurriedly
changed and went down to find I was one of the lucky ones.
Fortunately there was once again a police escort and most of us
made it in time. [As I later learned, one or two people didn't get
their luggage at all, and some had to take taxis and sneak in late].
As we entered, we reminded one another of the special importance
of the concert and resolved to dedicate it to the memory of Robert
Shaw.
Challenges such
as we faced today seem to come when something especially important
lies ahead. But if the Adversary thinks frustrating us will result
in an ineffective performance, he is mistaken. In my experience
it has usually had the opposite effect: we become more determined
and focused than ever. From the opening chime of the Choral fanfare
it was clear this concert would be special; we were on a higher
plain.
During a performance
our conductors frequently give us a finger pointing upwards reminding
us that we need to work harder to keep the pitch from sagging. On
this night the quality of our performance was marked by infrequent
use of that sign. We were especially pleased when Brother Wilberg
smiled and nodded at the conclusion of O Magnum Mysterium.
When the concert
ended, many in the audience cried out in exuberance. My (admittedly
biased) grade for our first four concerts is an "A". Having all
of our music memorized has made our performances so much more polished!
But this fifth concert in Atlanta treated the audience to our very
best - an "A double plus". Afterwards I walked to the lobby and
talked to an enthusiastic Church member couple. I'm usually timid
at meeting new people, but pouring my heart out to the Lord in song
gives me extra courage The wife said she wished her non-member Mother
had come. What fun it was to give her recording for her Mother -
and to be surprised with a big hug in return! .
TO BE CONTINUED
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