1. Regal elegance and sophistication
Just when you thought Jackie couldn't possibly become any more beautiful than she already was, she walked out onto the stage at the Hanover Theatre Friday night, looking not only more beautiful than ever, but also very sophisticated and elegant - I would say even regal. When Jackie first took the stage, there was a collective gasp from the audience (about 2,000 of us), which was quite audible, even though Jackie was already singing when she entered the stage.
Speaking of Jackie's entrance, it was very well done. She began the show with "Pure Imagination," and sang the first verse off-stage. She entered the stage as she was singing "We'll begin with a spin…" and as she sang the word "spin" she did a very graceful 360 degree spin, and then continued to walk to the center of the stage. It was a great entrance.
Jackie's gown was spectacular. It was floor-length. The fabric had a silky-chiffon look.. The color was beautiful - somewhere between a darker baby-blue and a lighter teal The bodice was fitted, off the shoulder, with narrow straps. The bodice was completely covered in large silvery-blue sequins. The lower half of the gown wasn't tight, but it wasn't flared out either - rather, it had a tapered shape, and was layered. The pictures I have seen so far on Facebook do not begin to show how beautiful this gown iis s. Here is the best picture I have been able to find:
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| Jackie Evancho (Fall, 2013) |
This picture shows pretty well the shape of the gown and the layering in the lower half of the gown. It also shows the baby-bluish-almost-teal color of the fabric reasonably well, but they do not show the bodice very well at all. It was VERY sparkly and much darker than these pictures show, making a very nice contrast with the lower half of the gown.
Jackie's hair was very long, and despite what it looks like in these pictures, it was very blonde. She wore it down, with soft curls. She wore very light make-up, with no jewelry other than the ring she usually wears.
Shoes? Yes, she wore beautiful sequined high-heeled shoes, and left them on for the entire concert. They gave her some trouble a couple of times as she was moving around the stage, so I wouldn't be surprised to see her go back to bare feet for the next few concerts.
For the second half of the concert, Jackie wore a very complex gown, hard for me as a non-fashionista to describe. The inner layer was a dark chocolate brown, The outer layer was sheer, with large sivery-gold square sequins. It had a wide black belt, cinched tight at the waist, with a large, ornate gold brocade design - or perhaps a metallic ornament - on the belt. She wore the same gown in Bali when she performed with Richard and Adam.
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| Jackie Evancho, (Fall, 2013) |
Overall look for the Worcester concert? Regal elegance and sophistication. Grade: A+
2. Stage demeanor and rapport with the audience.
One aspect of the concert that was definitely different from previous concerts was the amount of time Jackie spent talking to the audience. She was much more relaxed and confident and made remarks before several of the songs
As for her general stage presence and demeanor, there was a giggle or two in there, but generally, she was much more poised and relaxed between songs. We saw almost none of the little girl Jackie between songs. Her overall demeanor was very mature and sophisticated.
She tried something new by inviting some other children to join her on the stage for two of the songs, but I don't think that worked as well as Jackie would have liked.
Jackie still needs a little work on waiting for applause to end before she resumes talking when she is acknowledging the conductor, the orchestra, etc.
Overall impression? Sophisticated, mature, poised, relaxed, and confident. Grade: B+
3. "Bohemian Rhapsody"
For an interlude during the second set, conductor John Mario Costanza put down his baton, took a seat at the piano, and then, with help from the orchestra, proceeded to deliver a very powerful and exciting rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody," originally performed by Freddy Mercury and Queen. Freddy (may he rest in peace) was a musical genius, and of course "Bohemian Rhapsody" is an awesome musical work, but I couldn't help thinking about the very odd juxtaposition of Jackie Evancho and Freddy Mercury, given his flamboyant performance style and his notoriously licentious personal life.
Conclusion? Given what a great song it is, and given John Mario's formidable skills as a piano player, backed by an outstanding orchestra, I think it was a daring choice, that made for a very exciting performance. I was willing to overlook anything negative that I might have thought about Freddy Mercury's personal life, and I just focused on the music.
Grade: B++
4. "To Where You Are"
At the beginning of the concert, Jackie said that she would be singing songs from "Dream With Me," "Songs from the Silver Screen," and from her new CD that is in the works. However, the only song that she sang that was not from "Dream With Me" or "Songs from the Silver Screen" was "To Where You Are." Therefore, I have to assume that Jackie either misspoke, or that "To Where You Are" will be one of the songs on her new CD. Whatever the case, her rendition of "To Where You Are" was very beautiful. Check out her performance of the song at age 9, in Newark when she first met David Foster, and you can marvel at how much more skilled and polished she has become as a performer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLijmcVeR2Q
Overall grade for song choice and presentation: A-
5. "Lovers"
I attended the concert with a friend, and in the car on the way to Worcester, we told each other which songs we really wanted to hear. I told my friend that I really wanted to hear "Lovers." It's one of my personal favorites, and I have been very disappointed with the various live concert performances of this song available on YouTube. Of these performances, no orchestra, in my opinion, has been able to match the quality of the masterful performance of the song by the orchestra (with Jackie) at the original Dream With Me concert. In fairness to the musicians, and the conductor John Mario, I have to say that Jackie has been using a smaller orchestra, and of course, the Chinese and Japanese musicians who performed with the orchestra in Sarasota are not touring with Jackie.
Well, much to my delight, Jackie opened the second half of the concert with a very strong, emotional delivery of "Lovers," and the orchestration was outstanding - second only to the "Dream With Me in Concert" version in Sarasota.
If you are planning to attend any of Jackie's upcoming concerts out in the Western part of the U.S., count your lucky stars if she performs "Lovers." I think John Mario has finally found the right arrangement and knows how to elicit the optimum rendition of the song from the musicians.
Overall performance of "Lovers," including orchestration and conductor:
Grade: A+ (Where Sarasota is A++)
6. "Imaginer" and "The Impossible Dream."
My friend's wish list for the concert included these two songs, and Jackie did not disappoint. Her French diction and pronunciation continue to improve - the performance of "Imaginer" was beautiful. It will be hard for Jackie to top her performance of "The Impossible Dream" in Atlanta, in 2011, but not for lack of trying. This continues to be one of the strongest songs in Jackie's repertoire.
Delivery and emotional impact:
Grade: A- (only because the Atlanta performance was stronger).
7. Other songs:
The rest of the song list included some of Jackie's best: "Ombra Mai Fu," "The Lord's Prayer," "Se (Cinema Paradiso)", "O Mio Babbino Caro," and "The Music of the Night," among others. Jackie's command of these songs is formidable. Her interpretative skills, already second to none, continue to improve. Her rendition of "The Music of the Night" is magical. She hit the high notes perfectly. Her movements back and forth across the stage while she sang this song were so graceful, that she appeared to be dancing, or even floating. How do the lyrics go? "Floating, falling, sweet intoxication…" It was sweet, indeed.
Grade for interpretative skills: A+ (Where "The Lord's Prayer" in Dallas was A++)
8. Conclusion
This was the fifth Jackie Evancho concert I have attended, and the third concert of hers that I have attended this year. I was at the Boston concert on February 1, Providence on May 9, and then Worcester, October 11. I have to say that there was never a moment of déjà vu - never a moment where I felt I had seen or heard the song performed the same way before, either at the Worcester concert, or any of the previous concerts.
Jackie is growing so fast, and her skills and style are maturing so fast, it's fair to say that I saw three different Jackie Evancho's this year, and none of them failed to deliver a moving, memorable performance of each and every song. If you have tickets for any of her upcoming concerts, you are in for a rare treat, even if you have been to several previous concerts.
My only disappointment of the evening? That Jackie didn't sing "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night.)." Marc, Lisa, Mike, if you are reading this, PLEASE consider adding this to Jackie's regular concert repertoire. Her ability to perform this song is unmatched. Check out her performance in Seattle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j587rGNl1fk
I am eagerly looking forward to announcements of winter or spring concerts in the Northeast U.S., and I assure you that I will be at each and every one that is within a day's drive of Boston, and will continue to fight for the best seats I can get.
Overall grade for the Worcester concert: a very strong A
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