With so many summer classical concerts to choose from, it is important to make sure that the event has all the right ingredients; good weather, a great venue, lively music and talented musicians and artists. Luckily for me, the classical concert at Cleethorpes ticked all the boxes, especially as it included an appearance from the wonderful bass-baritone, Nick Garrett.
The venue was the Boating Lake Paddock right on the Cleethorpes coastline, it was a warm summers day that turned into a beautiful clear night with a full moon and provided the perfect setting for the 3000 people in attendance. Whilst this is perhaps a smaller audience than at some of the other concerts on offer, it only added to this intimacy of the evening. The music was provided courtesy of the Manchester Camerata conducted by Tim Redmond and special guests Nick Garrett and Sophie Louise Dann completing the line up.
I had been fortunate enough to see these artists perform together last year in Congleton and hoped that their performance would be just as good this year - I wasn’t disappointed!
From the orchestra’s point of view, the evening was, in the most part a tribute to the music of John Williams and they opened with the main Title Theme and Imperial March from Star Wars. This was followed by Harry’s Wondrous World from Harry Potter. These were all very popular songs with the audience and as the night drew in, the sight of all the twinkling lanterns and candles really added a sense of magic to the evening.
From films, the theme turned to opera as the orchestra played the Prelude & Aragonaise from Bizet’s Carmen before being joined on stage by Nick Garrett. Nick then sang the Toreador’s song and looked very much the part in his black suit and red shirt. This song delighted the crowd, many of whom were hearing Nick for the first time and they showed their appreciation by clapping along in time to the chorus. Nick then sang Aranjuez by Rodrigo, originally the music had been written for guitar but, this arrangement was played by the orchestra and sung to lyrics written by Nick. He began the piece in very hushed tones but by the end had unleashed the full power of his bass-baritone voice and the final note which he held for sometime, sent shivers down your spine. The applause that followed was tremendous and seemed to be much appreciated by Nick.
The orchestra then played William’s E.T on Earth, which given the setting, seemed very appropriate and you half expected to see the silhouette of Elliot on his bicycle against the backdrop of the full moon. They were then joined by Sophie Louise Dann who sang a selection of songs by Gershwin and Yiu before they concluded the first half with the theme tune to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The second half opened with the orchestra playing Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines and they were then rejoined on stage by Nick, now wearing a different shirt.
Nick then sang the beautiful song, Some Enchanted Evening from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific. This was another piece entirely suited to the setting of the concert and was made even more enchanting by Nick’s voice which was full of passion and left you simply floating. This was followed by a duet with Sophie, I Could Write a Book, both of which received a rapturous applause from the crowds. Both songs also showed the versatility of Nick’s voice in that not only can he sing opera, but he can also perform songs from musicals to the same high standard.
We were then treated to the song That Old Black Magic. Nick’s rendition of this song was indeed magical and he seemed to express the lyrics of the song perfectly. The second half seemed to be developing a truly romantic theme and this was continued by the next song, a duet again with Sophie, All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera. This piece proved very popular with the audience and the resulting applause lasted quite a while as the crowds showed their appreciation. Again, in this song, Nick’s voice was not only gentle and caressing, but powerful and passionate and it was easy to forget everyone else around you and think he was singing just for you.
The evening was rounded off with a Proms style concert and conductor Tim Redmond got the audience to participate and clap along to the Sea Songs by Henry Wood. He was then joined by Nick and Sophie who led the audience in Rule Britannia. By now, there was a sea of flags and glow sticks and the crowds burst into song at every chorus. The applause was so great that Tim agreed to an encore. No prom concert would be complete without Parry’s Jerusalem which Nick sang with great fervour and feeling and, just like last year’s concert, this had me in tears, such was the feeling and emotion that Nick brought to the song.
The concert ended with the traditional Pomp & Circumstance March No1 which had the audience on its feet, singing loudly and waving flags in time to the music. Finally came the fireworks which were accompanied by the orchestra playing Jupiter from Holst’s Planet Suite. It seemed that even the fireworks wanted to please and so to accommodate this, there was one final encore by the orchestra as they played the theme to Superman.
The wonderful experience of the evening had been made all the more enjoyable by the fact that Nick came and spent the entire interval with us and in fact stayed so long, he nearly didn’t make it back on stage in time! It truly was a magical evening in every sense. The fantastic music provided by the Manchester Camerata and Tim Redmond combined with the powerful, distinctive and breathtaking bass-baritone voice of Nick Garrett left you feeling truly elated. For all round entertainment and enjoyment, evenings out just don’t get much better than this!
