Whimsy often is a crucial element when the Cleveland Pops Orchestra gets
down to business. At what other grown-up musical event could you hear both
a red clarinet and a tiny red piano?
Those instruments were part of the Pops' "I Love a Piano" program
Friday at Severance Hall. Music director Carl Topilow, sporting a nifty piano
tie, played the red clarinet (and a regular black one earlier in the night).
The toy piano was brought onstage by the evening's soloist, Rich Ridenour,
who proceeded to sit on the stage floor for a nutty "Peanuts" version
of Beethoven's "Fur Elise."
All of the music had ties to Hollywood or television, except for a daffy "Theme
and Variations on Chopsticks" by a composer named Schlitz. This was
one of those tangy Ridenour brews that blended the famous tune with beloved
piano quotations.
Ridenour proved a punny and amiable guest, as eager to tear into the unusually
tinny-sounding Steinway as he was to banter with the crowd. At one point,
he invited a brave Pops-goer onstage to wear a fake nose and grunt as Pumbaa
the Warthog as he played "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" (from "The
Lion King") with sing-along help from the audience.
In Ridenour's extroverted hands, the popular selections tended to click
better than the classical fare. The pianist was infectious in Joplin's "Maple
Leaf Rag" and collaborating with Topilow on red clarinet in Gershwin's "Promenade," which
included adorable leash-but-no-dog contributions from the sister-and-brother
team of Alexis and Eric Floyd.
But Ridenour tended to sell Variation 18 from Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on
a Theme of Paganini and Richard Addinsell's "Warsaw Concerto" too
hard for these works' subtleties to register.
Topilow and the orchestra had most of the first half to themselves, and
they were splendid in an array of colorful Hollywood scores. Among the highlights
were a Simon and Garfunkel medley (from "The Graduate") and a suite
of Howard Shore's music from "The Lord of the Rings," with Alexis
Floyd as sweet soloist.
Between these pieces, the concert was transformed into something of a Carl
and Bill Show as Topilow teased the audience with movie trivia questions,
with inestimable assistance from WCLV FM/104.9's Bill O'Connell, who was
seated in the audience. Much whimsy. Much fun.
© 2005 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission.
