Lift Up Your Hearts!

There were any number of reasons why we shouldn't have gone to the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's A Celtic Fantasy concert last night. We have a huge deadline looming, and delightful out of town company as well. However, a commitment to a friend kept us from taking the logical course and giving away our tickets, and are we glad we didn't miss the performance!

When the OPO brought renowned flutist James Galway to town we enjoyed that concert tremendously. Last night’s Celtic Fantasy, featuring OPO principal flutist Aaron Goldman was every bit as delightful, if not more so. As Galway had done, Aaron played both flute and pennywhistle with grace and beauty and skill. Memo to the Orlando Philharmonic: James Galway is no doubt a very busy and expensive performer. Forget the big names: give us more Aaron Goldman!

(In the interest of full disclosure: I've been introduced to Mr. Goldman but can't say I know him. He does automatically gain a place in my heart by being a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," and a great deal of our treasure, not to mention one of our Greatest Treasures, went to Eastman. The other Greatest Treasure went to Carnegie Mellon University, which was also honored in this concert, though the orchestra may not have been aware of that fact.)

Featured on the program:

• Four Scottish Dances (Malcolm Arnold)
• Irish Rhapsody (Victor Herbert)
• Gaelic Love Songs for Flute (Edward McGuire)
• Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise (Sir Peter Maxwell Davies) (With a bagpiper at the end!)
• Scotland the Brave (More bagpipers; for a while, I thought I was back at Carnegie Mellon's graduation.)
• O'Sullivan's March from "Rob Roy"
• Danny Boy (A good arrangement but nothing can beat Greg Barker's.)
• Itsbynne Reel (Say that out loud.)
• Island Fiddle Suite (Scott MacMillan) (With Irish dancers! My heart leaped when they came out, and I noted the curly wigs and the crowns. :) I know they were Irish dancers because they're from a school of Irish dance, but I wish Janet had been there to explain some things. I recognized some of the dances, though I couldn't name them, and noted that the dancers' hands were straight at their sides, as I expected. But at other times their hand were on their hips, or above their heads, or linked with those of other dancers, which I didn't expect.)
• Invernia
• Riverdance (with whistle)
• and an encore, with whistle

There was so much in the concert that made us think of our wonderful girls, and wish they could have shared it with us. The whole performance was bathed in what Porter calls "favorable emotional circumstances," and so perhaps our reaction was a bit prejudiced. But it really was an excellent concert.