Whenever Liza Grossman conducts her Contemporary Youth Orchestra, the listener can be assured of several things—it’ll be fun, it’ll be different and it’ll be an ear-opener. The final concert of the gala 10th Anniversary season was all that, and more. It was an evening of rock music performed by those who know it best—the composers—as filtered through the sensibilities of a full-sized symphony orchestra with chorus, conductor and arranger Paul Leary. There was something for nearly everyone in this 5th Rock the Orchestra concert with special guests, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.

Prior to the concert, the two had conducted student workshops, but come Tuesday evening, it was all music, much of it by the multi-Grammy winner Benatar. Starting things off was the rocking tune "All Fired Up", followed by "We Live for Love." Ms. Benatar provided commentary and introduction for the songs, but mostly she just stood there and sang for the entire concert which did include an encore, "We Belong." She also did one short stint on air guitar. But it’s her classically-trained voice that garnered those Grammys and clearly, she’s still capable of holding an audience in thrall.

Many in the audience (of all ages) were very familiar with the lyrics as well as the music, singing along at various times in a non-disruptive way. And of course, contrary to the traditional orchestra concert, audience members were occasionally moved to stand and shout or wave their hands in the air during a particularly excellent riff. Not what you’re likely to see at Severance Hall, but entirely suitable for this performance.

"I Won’t" was followed by "Promises in the Dark," which had a neat organ part. By the fifth song, "Go", everyone was loosened up, including the entire cello section, members of which stood up and plucked their instruments like acoustic bass players, with a bit of swaying back and forth. Giraldo hadn’t said much until this point, when he advised, with a nod to the youngsters seated behind him, “They’re making all the racket up here, and it’s beautiful!”

The percussion section howled like wolves or coyotes in the unusual orchestration of "Painted Desert", which also accommodated an extended Giraldo riff on his guitar. Benatar and Giraldo performed Invincible on 9/11, and since then has taken on extra meaning for them as well as listeners everywhere. This performance was dedicated to the troops in Iraq, and included a special fanfare from the brass players standing across the rear of the stage.

"River of Love" was the unquestioned hit of the show. If one song from the show were to be put on a DVD, for instance, it would be this one. From within the orchestra, a small rock band was formed and the players moved to the stage apron on the far right. Many of the orchestra soloists were miked, so we could all easily hear the impressive array of talent on display. Double bass, trombone, two separate violinists, viola (either not miked or not working), another trombone, trumpet, mandolin (including one section played while holding the instrument behind his head) and Ms. Benatar thumping away at her husband’s back—using it for a drum. All this was on center stage, before attention and the spotlights were shifted to the smaller group of electric bass and electric guitar. The latter engaged in a sort of ‘dueling guitars’ set with Mr. Giraldo. They nearly brought the house down. The senior guitarists plaintive line "somewhere over the rainbow" led to a mammoth drum solo.

Once the applause had died down, Ms. Benatar said, “Anybody who thinks America’s youth is going to hell in a hand basket needs to come right here, right now, and see for themselves...”

"Hell is for Children" tells of child abuse with lyrics that detail all the 'excuses’ for such behavior. The sadness was lightened by a bit of banter between the soloists and conductor. With two women and only one man, it was quickly decided that ‘Women Rule!’ which resulted in Mr. Giraldo removing his shirt (something else not often seen at Severance Hall).

"Heartbreaker" with its driving rhythm had the audience on its feet, stomping and yelling even before the music had ended. Many of the orchestra members sang along with the chorus and audience. The combined forces repeated their actions in the encore, "We Belong," especially the line “we belong together” seemed so appropriate.

It was a performance that tested not only the mettle of the young performers, but also the metal and the wood of the instruments on which they played. FIRE AWAY could be likened to a forge, in which multiple diverse components are blended together into one salient force. http://www.cyorchestra.org
from Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjuzt artswriter@adelphia.net

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