Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

August 26, 2012

Bob Keyes: Mood(y) Music

By Bob Keyes bkeyes@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Robert Moody has brought a dash of down-home charm to his role as music director and conductor of the Portland Symphony Orchestra.

As the South Carolina native prepares his fifth season, fans and supporters of the orchestra will notice him loosening up even more.

That's saying something, given that in the past Moody has had the audacity -- or just plain guts -- to rise from a coffin for the playful children's concert on Halloween or don unforgiving garb representative of the '70s for one of his favorite pops concerts.

The kids' Halloween concert, which sold out its inaugural performance last year, will be back this season. And there's no telling what Moody will wear when he leads a tribute to the "Totally Awesome '80s" in April.

But we do know this: In addition to his conducting duties, Moody has scheduled himself to sing and perform on cello this season, and the maestro has also included a pops program that features a show that he conceived and wrote.

The PSO will formally announce the 2012-13 season this week, but gave the Maine Sunday Telegram an exclusive preview.

The season, which begins in October and extends through the spring, will feature masterworks by Aaron Copland, Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Mahler's Symphony No. 5 -- all scheduled in celebration of Moody's fifth season in Portland.

Moody's willingness to feature himself is not a reflection of a growing ego, but more a matter of him finding comfort in Portland.

"I think we have done a strong job of understanding the community and the community understanding us," Moody said. "We really feel like we know each other. It allows the community to trust some of the out-of-the-box thinking I want to present. It allows me to invite the community to go with me in not-the-most-conservative direction. I think they enjoy doing that."

That is not to say that Moody is leading the orchestra away from its classical base. Hardly. The inclusion of the fifth symphonies of Beethoven and Mahler attest to that.

But chances will be taken.

To wit:

On Oct. 6, on the eve of the season-opening concert at Merrill Auditorium, Moody and guest pianist Andrew Russo will set up at One Longfellow Square in Portland for a night of crooning in a nightclub setting.

Russo will play the piano, and Moody will sing some of his favorite songs by James Taylor, Adele and others. Russo will also play music by R.E.M. and Sting. The casual evening will include wine, beer and food.

The show is not part of the regular concert season, and ticket information is pending.

"It gives us a chance to let our hair down and do something completely different than Copland and Tchaikovsky that we will do the next day," Moody said. "I think this will become a tradition. I have done this in other places, and I find them to be successful, and the community gets to see performers in a different way. We are stepping out a bit."

COPLAND KICKS THINGS OFF

The season formally begins on Oct. 7 with a Sunday Classical concert at Merrill that includes Copland's Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 (featuring Russo) and the contemporary piece "Mothership" by Moody's good friend Mason Bates. The program will be repeated on Oct. 9 for the season's first Tuesday Classical concert.

Why not Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," which is far better known?

Moody considered it.

"It started with me thinking exactly that -- that I wanted to begin my fifth season with a bang and a sense of fanfare," he said. "I said, 'Let's open with "Fanfare for a Common Man." But then I thought, how much better would it be if we opened with Copland's third symphony instead?

(Continued on page 2)

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