John Wilson

John Wilson & Sinfonia of London

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Greatest Hits

Symphony Hall

*****

In the world of Rock the Sinfonia of London would be classed as a supergroup. They are not a regular orchestra but a coming together for projects of, in their words, “principals and leaders from other orchestras, notable soloists and members of distinguished chamber groups” – in other words, the best of the best.

And under director and conductor John Wilson they live up to their billing and more. They are simply superb – and it is not just one orchestra he brought to Symphony Hall for an evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Greatest Hits, but the Sinfonia gave us a symphony orchestra, a dance band and a big band – whatever the music demanded.

Appearing with the orchestra were a trio of West End and Broadway stars with Louise Dearman, a mezzo-soprano with an exceptional upper range – and the only actress to have played both Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked – soprano Scarlett Strallen and baritone Nathaniel Hackmann – the trio being regulars in John Wilson concerts.

Richard Rodgers was the greatest songwriter of the 20th century in Wilson’s view and although he paid homage to his partnership with Oscar Hammerstein, he also included his earlier 20 year collaboration with lyricist Lorenz Hart.

That gave us numbers such as The Lady is a Tramp, Falling in Love with Love and the brilliant orchestra ballet piece, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue from the 1936 musical On Your Toes where it was choreographed by the legendary George Balanchine.

Ballet fans will remember it was a celebrated party piece of Robert Parker playing The Hoofer in his time as a principal at Birmingham Royal Ballet. Parker now Artistic Director at Elmhurst Ballet School.

We had the melancholy Little Girl Blue about lost dreams and youth from the1935 circus musical Jumbo and delved into black comedy with To Keep My Love Alive from the 1943 revival of A Connecticut Yankee.

Louise Dearman tells us:

"I married many men, a ton of them,

 And yet I was untrue to none of them

Because I bumped off every one of them

 To keep my love alive."

Then goes through a whole catalogue of rapidly becoming late husbands who suffer the most inventive, or, at the very least, the most rhyming ends.

The collaboration with Hammerstein from 1943, the year of Hart’s death, incidentally, brought a string of hits starting with Oklahoma which saw Nathaniel Hackmann declaring Oh! What a Beautiful Morning, to be joined by Scarlett Strallen to tell us People will Say We’re in Love.

We rode on Carousel and sailed to the South Pacific, enjoying Some Enchanted Evening, and found the hills alive in the last musical from the pair, the record breaking The Sound of Music as we made our way through their contribution to the Great American Songbook, all ending with all three vocalists singing the Carousel anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone.

It was Carousel once more for the encore with an extended June is busting Out All Over featuring all three singers and the orchestra letting rip in a big, big band finale.

Rodgers and Hammerstein are a part of musical history, spanning Broadway’s golden age, with The Sound of Music their final collaboration, Hammerstein dying of cancer nine months after the opening in 1959, and John Wilson and the Sinfonia, as always, brought their work to life magnificently.

Incidentally, Oscar Hammerstein is the only person named Oscar ever to win an Oscar . . . and he won two . . .

Roger Clarke

27-06-25

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