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Nov. 16, 2012
Streisand in Vancouver
At 70, the renowned singer is still captivating.
CAROL ANN SOKOLOFF
The legendary Barbra Streisand made her first appearance in Vancouver on Monday, Oct. 29, turning Rogers Arena into an intimate living room where she reminisced about the people and songs in her life.
The multi-talented artist, in fine voice, presented a lavish, yet personal, evening as part of her Back to Brooklyn tour, noting that it was only the 88th live concert of her career. As the houselights dimmed, a photomontage of a young Streisand and her parents in the 1940s played to a scratchy recording of “You’ll Never Know” (apparently from age 13), seamlessly transitioning to a more recent version of the song. The 60-piece orchestra then began an overture based on “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the show Funny Girl. Suddenly, “On a Clear Day...” sang that remarkable voice and there she was, in a black sequined gown – the one, the only Barbra Streisand, singing just for us!
Two and a half hours of magic and nostalgia followed, as one of the world’s great singers relived musical highlights of her career, revisiting the composers, lyricists and songs that have meant the most both to the artist and her fans. Her extraordinary voice undiminished in warmth and expressiveness, Streisand, now 70, did not shy away from long-held notes or elevated pitches, and was solidly in command of the orchestra, led by Los Angeles conductor and arranger Bill Ross.
At heart an actress who communicates through song, Streisand infused the evening with theatrical moments in tribute to stage and film composers Jule Stein (composer of Funny Girl), Marvin Hamlisch, who she first met when he was the rehearsal pianist for Funny Girl, and Leonard Bernstein, composer of West Side Story. The audience experienced stirring renditions of “People,” from Funny Girl, and the dramatic “Rose’s Turn/Some People” from Gypsy segueing into “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Hamlisch’s original orchestration of “The Way We Were” was performed to a photomontage of Streisand and the composer, who died this past August. The first songwriters to be acknowledged, however, were the Brooklyn-born team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, lyricists of “The Way We Were.” Another of their songs, “Nice and Easy,” was a highlight of the evening.
Also on the bill were three young Italian tenors known as Il Volo and popular trumpeter Chris Botti. Rather than serving as opening acts, these musicians were woven into the concert, performing with the star and on their own as she left the stage to rest her voice and change gowns. Streisand and Il Volo did a moving version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” while Babs and Botti lifted off on “Lost Inside of You” from the film A Star is Born. Rodgers and Hart’s “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and Victor Young’s “When I Fall in Love” were lovely additions to an evening that also included memorable hits such as the perennial “Evergreen.” Especially offered for the Vancouver concert was Bryan Adams’ “I Finally Found Someone,” which Streisand recorded with him for the film The Mirror Has Two Faces.
One of the most engaging parts of the night saw Streisand sitting at the foot of Israeli-born pianist Tamir Hendelman’s piano, answering questions previously submitted by the audience. “Do you have any guilty pleasures?” read one. “Are you kidding?” Streisand replied, “I’m Jewish. Every pleasure is guilty.” Asked what she liked best about performing in Canada, “the free flu shots,” she quipped. Indeed, Streisand used the concert as an opportunity to expound on U.S. politics and the coming election, the need to protect the environment and a reminder to appreciate every moment in life, as she launched into an emotional “Here’s to Life.”
A surprise guest in the second half of the concert was son Jason Gould, with whom Streisand sang a deeply felt “How Deep is the Ocean” – momma Streisand obviously kvelling over her talented son.
Concluding the evening with Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow,” Streisand had another family member waiting in the wings, sister Rosalind, with whom she shared an encore that paired one of her early hits, “Happy Days Are Here Again,” with Harold Arlen’s “Get Happy.”
For her final encore Streisand chose Bernstein’s wistful “Some Other Time,” thanking the audience for their love and loyalty. It was clear that the audience hoped there would be many other times to share the magic, music and humor of an evening with Barbra Streisand.
Carol Ann Sokoloff is an author, songwriter and performer living in Victoria, B.C., where she serves as director of the Jewish Community Choir. Her latest CD is called Let Go! and features original songs in the style of the jazz standards.
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