Drexel Hill flutist Cramer and the Philadelphia Orchestra get you into the holiday spirit
he Philadelphia Orchestra gets into the holiday spirit with three programs quite different from their usual fare.
First is the concert titled “The Glorious Sound of Christmas”, .presented for four nights this weekend, Thursday through Sunday. There are no symphonies or concertos on the program—instead, it’s a mix of holiday classics, including “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “O Holy Night” and more. Many of these will be sung by the Mendelssohn Club chorale.
The stage will look festive and Santa will make an
Meanwhile, guest conductor, Bramwell Tovey, has a style that is hardly traditional.
“We always enjoy him,” said David Cramer of Drexel Hill, associate principal flutist. “He loves talking to the audience, and with his British sense of humor, he could be a stand-up comedian.”
This versatile conductor is also a pianist and a composer.
“Each year, he recites ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ and accompanies himself on the piano,” said Cramer. “And he improvises so that every night is different.”
As for his composing, the musicians will perform Tovey’s original piece, “Rittenhouse Carol” written for the Philadelphia Orchestra.
“One holiday season he was walking around Rittenhouse Square, observing the lights, the people, the beauty,” said Cramer. “And he wrote ‘Rittenhouse Carol’, a lovely nostalgic piece. “
For more nostalgia, the title of this concert, “The Glorious Sound of Music,” is also the title of a best-selling album based on a l963 recording by the Philadelphia Orchestra and its longtime music director, the late with greenery onstage appearance. Eugene Ormandy.
Recently the orchestra released a recreation of its 1963 gold album. The updated version is a live recording from performances in 2014 and 2015, with Tovey conducting. Selections include some of his own arrangements.
The second holiday program, also an annual staple, is a complete performance of Handel’s oratorio “Messiah.” The musicians will present two “Messiah” concerts Dec. 21-22. Instead of spirited Christmas carols, this music will be sophisticated and spiritual.
Four vocal soloists plus the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir will perform the piece, accompanied by the orchestra which will be led by Christian Macelaru.
“He knows the orchestra very well,” said Cramer, saying years ago, Macelaru began his career as assistant conductor for the Philadelphians. “He’s a very fine musician and he’s good at adapting traditional pieces like ‘Messiah’ to a modern orchestra.”
The orchestra concludes its holiday performances with the annual New Year’s Eve concert led by Stephane Deneve, principal guest conductor.
“He seems to enjoy life tremendously,” said Cramer. “He brings a lot of energy and joy to conducting, and it’s very exciting to perform with him. ”
Befitting the occasion, the selections for this concert will be especially spirited, including favorites from musical theater such as “I Could Have Danced All Night” from “My Fair Lady,” Offenbach’s “Can Can,” Bernstein’s “Mambo” from “West Side Story”.
In keeping with tradition, the concert concludes with Johann Strauss Jr’s famous Vienna waltz, “On the Beautiful Blue Danube.”
This is the one concert of the year when the traditional black attire for the musicians can be relaxed. The women can wear colorful outfits, and the men, too, can be more dashing and add colorful cummerbunds and bow ties to their black formal suits.
As in the past, Cramer takes full advantage.
“I always wear red socks, and I’ll also be wearing a red plaid cummerbund and bow tie,” he said.
The New Year’s Eve concert closes out a hectic round of seven holiday concerts plus five rehearsals − all within the span of 17 days.
“This year, it’s easier than usual because we have one week off before the New Year’s Eve concert,” said Cramer. For that concert, the musicians know the music so well that there’s just one rehearsal on the morning of Dec. 31.
Now in his 37th season with this world class orchestra, the Delco musician can surely handle the challenges of the whirlwind of holiday concerts.
He also has other musical activities. He’s an active chamber music performer and an adjunct faculty member at Temple University where he gives private flute lessons.
But, the anchor of his musical activities is the Philadelphia Orchestra and this holiday season he again looks forward to the change of pace as the musicians present their popular holiday programs. .
“At this time of year, the concerts are more relaxing for us because we know the repertoire so well,” said Cramer. “So we can relax and enjoy ourselves- but in a very professional way. The audience is always very engaged, and it’s fun to see how much they enjoy it. And just like the audience, we, too, enjoy the music and have a good time.”