Marvin Hamlisch keeps show swingin'

The conductor interacted with the audience, even inviting one couple to dance.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Marvin Hamlisch has won three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, one Tony and three Golden Globe awards. His show, "A Chorus Line," received a Pulitzer Prize.
All these accolades aside, he clearly is a musician who loves music and wants to share the music and his love of it with his audience. And he did just that Thursday night at Scottish Rite Cathedral. According to an introduction by Dr. Brian Generalovich, an advisory board member, the auditorium was 90 percent filled.
Hamlisch, the principal pops conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, didn't waste any time getting in to the heart of the program titled "America's Music" featuring swing-style music of the big bands of the 1930s and '40s. Not only did he enthusiastically conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony, but his light-hearted and down-to-earth banter included tidbits of information about the musicians who made the era what it was such as Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington.
Joining in
A big band wouldn't be complete without a girl singer, and Lynn Roberts filled that bill. Also adding to the vocals was Michael Maguire. Lending their voices to such tunes as "Big Band Singer," "All or Nothing at All" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo," the singers, together and as soloists, took the audience back to that exuberant time in music.
Hamlisch also drew the audience into the program by enlisting their voices in "Pennsylvania 6-5000," commenting that "This song came out of a phone book and they wanted me to do this in Wheeling, W.Va., but it just didn't fit." He said it was perfect for a Pennsylvania audience.
Hamlisch, in his continuing commentary, also noted that the big bands contributed 77 Top 10 hits during the years 1939-42 and Miller was prominent in this group. The program reflected the music's enduring popularity with such easily recognizable favorites as "In the Mood," "You Made Me Love You," "The Lady is a Tramp" and, of course, "Unforgettable."
Though many might think of a symphony performance in terms such as dignified and classical, this symphony performance seemed to follow the idea that "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." The musicians, credited by Hamlisch as "superb" with great reviews in New York, let their hair down and took off their suit coats. Some of it was for the mood, another part because of the lack of air conditioning at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, which resulted in somewhat close quarters.
Off the beaten path
Another diversion from a standard symphony program was Hamlisch's recognition of a couple celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary. The pair, who were invited to dance by the conductor, jitterbugged in the aisle to the delight of the audience.
Hamlisch also won the audience's approval with a nod to the U.S. Armed Forces and the playing of each of their signature songs. He also asked those who had served to stand when the selections were played as a salute to their service.
On a serious note, Hamlisch conducted "Over the Rainbow" with Roberts as soloist and said he wished the world were in this better place.
Hamlisch also shared with the audience the notion that the government had encouraged songwriters of the time to create uplifting lyrics and melodies. They did so and made a memorable contribution as part of the "Greatest Generation."