The other half, working close to the RAH, was offered a pair of tickets earlier in the week, Curious I agreed although I had issues with his voice. I had been to what was possibly the first prom that featured a rock group, that being Soft Machine and some forty odd years earlier. Soft Machine, and the associated music was considered as avant garde at the time. That 'bill' also included music by Terry Riley, John Cage and Tim Souster. Modern indeed and challenging. This a generation later was anything but.
His singing is monotonal and dreary with just odd occasions of depth and power. The orchestration had it moments, the harpist providing odd highlights of rare sharp attacks as she plucked the strings. The huge percussion section was totally banal spitting out clacks and ticks, three flicks of the castanets and that was that. The drumming sounded like a grade four school boy, limp and middle of the road. And then there was a duet of some Rogers and Hammerstein song from Carousel that was frankly embarrassing.
After seventy five minutes of this we left. After the second song the other half said he sounded like Barry Manilow, He didnt, but I know what she meant.
It was all emperor's new clothes, strip the orchestra down to a string quartet, keep the piano, throw in a double bassist, and a drummer who knows what he is doing. And yes an artistic director/producer. Then Mr Wainwright you will be able to elevate yourself out of your dirge of MOR banality.
And take a leaf out of John Grant's book.
Very very disappointing. Totally overated.
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