Pops Audience Relaxes Into Holiday Spirit

The Spokane Symphony and Chorale’s Holiday Pops Saturday night, Spokane Opera House

The Holiday Pops concert had a new look on stage this year. The Spokane Symphony was on stage right, the Symphony Chorale was on stage left, and the living room was front and center.

The living room? Yes, a pair of comfy chairs were at the front of the stage, and the idea was this: Come into our living room and share a Christmas evening with us. We just happen to have a full symphony and two choirs in it. The atmosphere was nicely informal, and so was the concert.

The setting wasn’t the only thing that was different. Associate Conductor Jung-Ho Pak took over this year and he was a genial, enthusiastic host with an easy and natural way of relating to the audience. At one point, he told us that “The Trepak” was his favorite part of “The Nutcracker” because his name is in it.

The concert had all of the traditions we have come to expect in a Holiday Pops concert. There was the sprightly version of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” the Christmas carol sing-along conducted by Santa himself, and the rousing version of the “Hallelujah Chorus” from the Chorale, which was in fine voice Saturday night. Also, of course, there were some beautiful and haunting selections from the Spokane Area Children’s Chorus.

“Informal” was also the word for the Children’s Chorus, under the direction of Tamara Schupman. During their version of “Christmas Time Is Here” from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, they wagged their heads from side to side in imitation of Snoopy. On a more serious side, they sang a clear and ringing version of “The Apple Tree” from up in the first balcony.

The Symphony Chorale, directed by Carrie Druffel, sang an exquisite version of “The Carol of the Bells.” Their biggest crowd pleaser was a sprightly version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” punctuated by flourishes and fills from the orchestra.

The musical highlight of the show for me was an unusual arrangement of “Pat-a-Pan,” which sounded as if it could have come directly from a holiday feast in the court of Henry the Eighth. This outstanding arrangement was done by the symphony’s own William Berry, a trumpeter.

The other moment that will stick in my memory was Tamara Schupman’s crystalline solo of “O Holy Night.” This was the only time during the entire program that any soloist, vocal or instrumental, was spotlighted.

The new stage design had a warm Christmasy look, and I liked the conceit of the we’re-just-sitting-around-our-living-room concept. Sometimes, however, informality verged on unrehearsed. Sometimes it sounded to me as if the orchestra’s timing was slightly out of whack.

Mostly, though, the orchestra was its usual magnificent self. Add the Chorale and the Children’s Chorus into the mix and the Holiday Pops concert is the most reliable way I know to get into the Christmas spirit. , DataTimes