A[nother] Review!

Okay, so I know I haven't done any real POSTS lately, but all I've really been writing about are essays for term projects and such. Now that it's the break (YAY) I should have ample opportunities to write blogs! But for now, here is my Rhapsody term project - A review on Mannheim Steamroller :)

For my birthday this year, my dad said that he would take me to a concert of my choice. I spent months looking up performances at Abravenal Hall, Kingsbury Hall, and many, many others. Finally, around the beginning of November, I found in the newspaper that Mannheim Steamroller was performing their 25^th anniversary tour on the 18^th and 19^th. I was so excited! I had never been to one of their performances, but I love their Christmas music and I had heard a lot about them! I told my dad my idea, and he was just as excited as I was. So, on November 18, my dad and I made our way to our $70 orchestra seats in Abravenal Hall.

We couldn’t have asked for better seats. We were smack-dab in the middle of the audience. We had a perfect view of everything on the stage, and when the musicians came on, we could see their facial expressions perfectly; their visuals and stage presence were phenomenal. The program was arranged in such a way that you never fell asleep or thought your ears would burst from so much sound. The composition of the music was exhilarating and beautiful.

Before the performance started, they had a huge screen pulled across the stage that had a projector showing a pretty indoor Christmas-y scene. When the concert started, they began with Hallelujah. It was an awesome way to start because it was energetic and they had lights flashing everywhere. It got everyone really excited and pumped up for the rest of the concert. I loved watching the violinist; even when she wasn’t playing she was getting into the other’s music. Throughout the concert she and the pianist were almost having a miniature “battle of the bands” between the two of them. It was really fun to watch!

At some points they went really over-the-top with the visuals; they would pull the screen across again and show some video while they played their music. With some, like Deck the Halls where they just showed some pictures from past performances in the background, it wasn’t hard on the eyes. In fact, the ones where the visuals were just small were actually very entertaining. But on other songs they would project entire performances right in from of you, and it was hard to watch. During the second half of the program they performed God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, both a more traditional version and again with a more modern feel. It was the longest and most boring part of the whole performance. They pulled the screen across and showed what felt like a ten-minute reenactment of what a Christmas feast would have looked like during the Renaissance. It would have been pretty cool if it had been about five times shorter. The good thing was that they recaptured everyone’s attention with their next songs.

Their program was very cleverly arranged. They would alternate between faster, more energetic songs and other slower ones that would give you time to calm down and relax. You were never bored (except, of course, for God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) because they would finish with a calmer one and start the next one right off with an explosion of noise!

One of the things I loved most about Mannheim Steamroller’s music is how original and unique it all is. Even with this concert where almost all of it was just remakes of traditional songs, it was like hearing the songs for the first time. It was full of energy and so fun to watch!

I have always loved Mannheim Steamroller’s CDs, but nothing can compare to being there in person! The acoustics in Abravenal Hall are absolutely amazing. The sound reverberates around you so much it almost makes your head start to spin. Because their music is considered “18^th Century Rock-n-Roll”, the bass seems to make the whole building shake. The energy of the musicians are very contagious!