Interview: Keith Lockhart Discusses Flaherty and Ahrens and the Holiday Pops
By: Joseph F. Panarello Dec. 04, 2014
Christmas and music are synonymous. There's something about the holiday season that makes people reach into their music collections to bring out vintage recordings by Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis and Gene Autry. Others will seek out recordings of Handel's MESSIAH or the Boston Pops--for whom composer Leroy Anderson wrote his famous "Sleigh Ride" in 1948.
"People who don't seem to gravitate towards music at any other time of the year suddenly turn into music junkies when it comes to the holidays," comments Keith Lockhart, the current conductor of the famed Boston Pops. "I think it has to do with this being a time with a very rich emotional life for all of us. It's a time rooted on nostalgia; a time where we express our love for our families and our children and distills the emotional lives of human beings in a very direct and poignant way. That's why you'll hear a certain song and suddenly feel a tear in your eye or a chill up your spine that you weren't expecting. Nothing else can do that for you. That's the amazing power of music."
Speaking by phone while being driven to some early morning interviews. Lockhart sounded sharp and alert, even as he faces the challenge of conducting a full month of holiday concerts at Boston's beautiful Symphony Hall--often with two or more concerts wedged into a single day. There will also be an abbreviated tour with stops at Storr CT, Lowell MA, Worchester MA and Manchester MA.
"As usual," the maestro continues, "we have all these people to touch in this period of time. This includes little kids and their grandparents, as well as everybody in between. We try to mix a program that will have those special moments in it for everyone. A program that runs the gamut from classical expressions of the season like "The Hallelujah Chorus" and Humperdinck's HANSEL AND GRETEL to jazz and more modern expressions of the season. We also have Santa Claus and moments of great introspection.
Lockhart's mood changes a bit when he discusses a project he especially commissioned for the Boston Pops. "It's called 'A Soldier's Carol: The Christmas Truce of 1915.' It's an amazing story that not enough people know about. Four years of carnage and utter disregard for humanity during World War I that are somehow wondrously illuminated by 36 hours of shared humanity. I really wanted to find a way to tell the story. This is the 100th anniversary of that particular event and I turned to Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens--two of the best storytellers I know. They were so excited about it that even in the middle of their new show [THE LITTLE DANCER] they dropped everything and did this piece for us. I really think it's going to be the emotional highlight of the program."
Featured in the Holiday Pops concerts will be the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. "They are the official chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, " Lockhart explains. They were founded in 1970 by John Oliver--who is still the chorus' director. They've performed all over the world with the Boston Symphony and are the mainstays of all the concerts we do at Symphony Hall." An interesting aspect of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is that despite their world-class stature, they are a volunteer organization. "We have these wonderful singers who have real jobs--and real lives--who join us for an incredible number of concerts during the Christmas season," Lockhart says.
Boston families will have a treat when the Boston Pops presents three special screening of the movie HOME ALONE which features a score penned by John Williams-- who wielded his baton over the orchestra prior to Lockhart's tenure.. Although it's not specifically a Christmas film, it is set during the holiday and only recently has been released to be performed with a live orchestra performing the score. While the movie will be shown in crystal clarity on the Pops' huge screen, Lockhart will conduct the full orchestra beneath it for three performances only on December 26th and 27th. "For people who are tired of Christmas carols by the 25th, this is something different for them to do with their children," Lockhart suggests.
The Pops Christmas season also features special kiddie matinees that are sprinkled throughout the month. "There are kiddie performances every Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM. There's also a special one on Christmas Eve," remarks the maestro. "These are shortened programs without intermission We vary the program a bit with children in mind."
For those who want to relive the spirit of the Boston Pops' holiday concerts, Keith Lockhart and the orchestra have three Christmas CD's available: HOLIDAY POPS, SLEIGH RIDE, and A BOSTON POPS CHRISTMAS. The latter features their incredible arrangement of the perennial "Twelve Days of Christmas" that delights every listener who hears it. Last Christmas, it was a great after dinner treat as guest tried to identify the numerous musical pieces that were woven into the orchestration. The younger people in the crowd never can identify "Indian Love Call" while the older people tend to over look "Bohemian Rhapsody". It's all in good fun and certainly recommended for music collections.
To purchase tickets to the Holiday Pops concerts or to buy the CD's,go to www.bso.org and click the Pops tab.
Merry Christmas!
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