BWW Interviews: Steven Reineke talks Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall

On March 11th the New York Pops (led by Steven Reineke) will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Judy Garland's iconic 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall. The concert was a comeback of sorts for Garland, who had taken a few years off to rest and recover from various problems. She came back with a bang. The Carnegie Hall show was loved by America, recorded for prosperity and the recording is popular to this day.

Steven Reineke is conducting the concert, which features three remarkable Broadway stars singing Judy's songs. Ashley Brown, Heather Headley and Karen Olivo will be joined by Judy's daughter Lorna Luft for one night only to pay homage to Judy Garland and her music. The show will feature many popular songs such as "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "The Trolley Song" and also a few that are perhaps not as well known.

BWW had the opportunity to talk to everyone involved in what promises to be a very magical evening, and will be featuring interviews with all the parties during this week leading up to the big event. First up is conductor Steven Reineke, who talks about the importance of Judy Garland's music, what people can expect from the evening and why he is doing this special concert now:

You are conducting the 50th Anniversary Judy Garland Celebration at Carnegie Hall. Could you sum up the event for us?

It is a celebration of her iconic 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall. This year is the 50th Anniversary of the concert and a lot of people have been calling this a re-creation. But it isn't that - you could never re-create the magic of that night. We are instead paying homage to one of the greatest nights in showbiz history. All of the tunes that Judy did we are doing in their original order with their original arrangements. We are doing this with three modern and contemporary ladies - Ashley Brown, Heather Headley and Karen Olivo. We also have Judy's daughter Lorna Luft joining us.

Tell us a bit about which songs each girl will sing...

Well, I have turned a lot of the songs into trios so they can sing them together, and then each girl will be doing songs that best suit her. For example, Ashley will be doing "Almost Like Being in Love", "You Made Me Love You", "The Trolley Song" and "Over The Rainbow". Heather is doing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love", "A Foggy Day" and "Stormy Weather" and Karen is doing "How Long Has This Been Going On", "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart", and "Swanee". I'm going to keep Lorna's songs a secret for the people who come to the show.

How did you choose the girls to be involved in the show?

We did a lot of thinking about the type of voices the ladies would have to have. I also wanted three unique ladies with different personalities and characteristics. I have great respect and admiration for all three of these women, and they are tremendous performers.

Personally, why did you want to do this show (other than the fact that this year marks the 50th Anniversary)?

It really all came about because it was at Carnegie Hall where the Pops perform and I was looking through things that happened there on this date in March that we were scheduled to perform. I saw Judy's show was in April and that it was the anniversary year and realized it would be perfect. We are all about the Great American Songbook, so this show will help keep it alive and serve as a celebration of this wonderful music.

Can you pick a favourite Judy Garland tune?

My all time favourite is actually not on this program, it's "Get Happy". We aren't doing it because she didn't do it originally at this performance. I thought about adding it but we have so much music already that I didn't think we could add anymore. One thing I really love on this particular program is "If Love Were All". A few of these songs have become so iconic in their own right and I love getting to hear them with these arrangements.

Also, the arrangement of "Come Rain or Come Shine" that is on this album is jus the best one of this tune that I have ever heard. I grew up listening to this music and it is going to be a lot of fun. It's not on this program, it's "Get Happy".

Is there a recording of Judy's concert?

Yes, a 2 CD set was recorded. The concert happened after Judy had taken a few years off to recover from some illness and drug and alcohol abuse and it was a bit of a comeback performance for her. That is part of why it is such an iconic concert. A lot of people want to see how she would do and it was a star-studded event with celebrities and people filling the place to the rafters. A bit like a Beatles concert from back in those days only with someone performing songs from The Great American Songbook.

For young people who might recognize Judy's name but not be very familiar with her music, what would you say is the reason to come and check out this show?

She really was largely instrumental in introducing these songs to the American songbook. The only people who can touch her are Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, she is in the ranks with them as the person who introduced this music to the world. She holds a special place in American music history and these are American standards. They just don't write ‘em like this anymore and this is the real deal.

What is next for the New York Pops?

This is the last show of this season, so then we begin getting ready for our big birthday gala on May 2nd. We are paying tribute to Bob Hope in a star-studded event. There will also be a Motown tribute and we just confirmed that we will be doing a 10th Anniversary memorial of 9/11 in September.

On a personal note, with so many new shows opening on Broadway right now, what are you looking forward to seeing?

I already have tickets to Catch Me If You Can and I can't wait to see that, and I'm also really looking forward to Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Book of Mormon is another one I'm really curious about. It's a great season, I'm very excited about it.

When and Where?
The Great Judy Garland
Carnegie Hall

March 11th, 2011 at 8PM

Tickets range from $16.50 to $106 and can be purchased at the box office, by phone at 212-247-7800 or online here