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A concert review of Sir James Galway at the Mesa Arts Center, March 6, 2009!

March 12th, 2009 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello once again,

Two days after seeing the classic rock/new-wave of The Pretenders, I traveled 180 degrees on the music spectrum and made the trek out to the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, AZ. The occasion? A recital with flute players Sir James Galway and his wife Lady Jeanne Galway, accompanied on the piano by Christopher O’Riley.

Folks, those of you that pigeon-hole yourself into one style of music are missing out on the beauty of this art. Years ago I was very closed minded when it came to genres of music I would listen to, but as I have grown older I am proud to say I have expanded my horizons and become much more open.

I played trumpet from 4th-8th grade and wish I had stuck with the craft. I can humbly say I was good at it, but typical with so many boys that age I began to think it was not “cool” to be in the band. I was more interested in sports. There is nothing wrong with that, but I wish I had continued to play. Playing in the band did give me an appreciation of classical music at an early age, and a job working at Organ Stop Pizza here in Phoenix and listening to gentleman such as Lew Williams, Johnny Harris, Walter Strony and Ty Woodward playing the Wurlitzer Organ, and vocalists such as Ron Pratt accompanying them during my sophomore and junior years in high school expanded on that appreciation.

Fast forward to 2006 when I had my first opportunity to see Sir James Galway at the Phoenix Symphony. That was a wonderful experience, and at the time I wrote that blog post that concert ranked Number Eight on my all-time list. Some concerts since then have moved that show off that list.

Well, Sir James makes a welcome return to my Top Ten Concerts of All Time, because as good as he was back in 2006, this show was even better!

This was my first trip to the Mesa Arts Center and I do like the place. This show took place at the Ikeda Center, which holds approximately 1600 people. Very impressive building from the outside, the lobby is very nice as well, but the inside of the actual venue did not do too much for me. A little too “brown”. The seating was very comfortable, it is just that some of the railings are put in odd places, which can limit your view of the stage a bit.

One very disturbing thing about the concert was the same big problem I had at The Pretenders concert two evenings earlier. WHERE WAS EVERYBODY?! Folks, Sir James Galway has an impressive resume. Being one of the first flute players to establish a career as a flute soloist, he has played with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sadler’s Wells Opera and the Covent Garden Opera. He was the principal flute player for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1969-1975, is the Principal Guest Conductor of the London Mozart Players and was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2008.

Now, I have to be honest, none of that made any difference to me until I heard him play on the third soundtrack of the Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies, The Return of the King. Completely impressed with what I heard, that was the moment I became a fan.

The concert in 2006 he played with the entire Phoenix Symphony. With three musicians being the most playing at one time on this evening, the show was an even greater intimate affair and truly showcased his immense talent.

The first set was a classical repertoire of pieces, and to my delight I recognized much of what was played. I do apologize for not knowing the precise names of the pieces. I do believe En Bateau from Petit Suite and Clair de Lune from Claude Debussy were played, as well as a number of pieces from C.M. Widor.

One of the many things I love about Sir James Galway is the manner in which he plays. He is an absolute delight in concert! A flute player that stands and dances around as he is playing is so much fun to watch, and his banter with the audience in between pieces was hilarious! This gentleman really knows how to entertain a crowd, and that thick, Irish accent was wonderful to listen to. At one point of the evening he responded to a comment from a patron up front by answering, “As a matter of fact, I did take my pills today!” Precious!

The second set of the evening was all traditional Irish music, perfect for the time of year since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. He even played Danny Boy, a piece I remember him playing back in 2006. Lady Jeanne Galway joined him midway through this part of the program, and the two play so well together. It is evident they have practiced as a duo for hours, everything was simply flawless.

Christopher O’Riley was brilliant on the piano. Once again, the Dust Devil was pretty ignorant walking into this concert, as I was not familar with O’Riley’s work. He hosts a show on NPR called From The Top, a radio broadcast designed to crossover to a younger generation of potential classical music fans. What intrigued me was when I read the program during intermission. This guy plays piano renditions of songs by Radiohead!

A great concert, a wonderful time, too bad the venue was not even at half capacity that evening. What a joke, the Valley of the Sun should be ashamed of itself for allowing three phenomenal musicians to play a concert to such a pathetic turnout. Don’t give me the whole economy excuse either, I went to three concerts in a span of four days and spent well over $200 to do so, gladly I may add. Next time people, put back the carton of cigarettes or whatever else you deemed more important and support the arts!

But wait, there is more, for as I was leaving I noticed a line forming at a table in the lobby downstairs. Sir James, Lady Jeanne and Christopher O’Riley were going to be signing CD’s. Not one to pass up a wonderful opportunity like this, I purchased Galway’s latest disc O’Reilly Street and O’Riley’s True Love Waits and got in line. It did not even bother me that I was last in line, I was so giddy from the concert.

Sir James was first at the table to sign the CD, and I have to tell you, not only is he a phenomenal artist, he is one of the most genuine, down-to-earth, nicest guys I have met in a long time. There was no rock-star ego here, just a sincere artist that you could tell appreciated his fan base. Lady Jeanne signed the same disc, while Christopher O’Riley signed his. I even was able to get a picture with Sir James, and when I asked him if it was okay, he replied, “Why sure, step here into the studio!”

I am rarely starstruck. On this occasion I was in awe, what a great man and what a memorable evening! I hope to see this gentleman live again someday, but I would fully understand if he blew this state off after the poor turnout he witnessed. How sad if that is the case.

Two great concerts in a span of three days and poor turnouts at each. I am losing faith in this town when it comes to supporting great music. Thankfully, the Jimmy Eat World/No Knife show the next evening restored my faith in this community!

Cheers!
The Dust Devil

Filed under: Venue News & Reviews, Event Reviews, Cheers and Jeers