Brazil nights at the Hollywood Bowl are always a big hit. The concerts on September 11 and 12 were no exception with attendance near 17,000 both nights. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, founded by John Mauceri, was in great form. The new Maestro Thomas Wilkins proved to be a congenial, witty, and skilled successor. The featured guests for the evening were Bebel Gilberto (daughter of renowned bassa nova guitarist Joao Gilberto), and Brazilian sensation Seu Jorge.
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra has never sounded better. From the first notes of the well known “Brazil”(Barrosa’s Aquarela do Brasil) through the gorgeous medley of Jobim melodies, to a shatteringly beautiful rendition of Barry’s "Somewhere in Time" (the orchestra’s most requested song on tour in Brazil) we were lifted above all the squabbles over health care reform, the “tea partiers”, the rude congressman who yelled “You lie” to President Obama, and transported to the lush sensual shores of Brazil.
Maestro Wilkins warned us that could happen and indeed several dancers were spotted in the audience wafted away by the sound and their emotions. A surprise visit by some scantily clad but gorgeous women in Carnival regalia certainly helped set the tone. I particularly loved a piece called Amazon Journey by Matthew Naughtin that utilized sounds of the Amazon as well as instrumentals to present a haunting reminder of the light and dark of the river.
Bebel Gilberto says she is singing joyfully because she is in love, loved, and about to get married to her sound engineer and producer. She was in fine voice and full of sexy rhythmic moves as she sang songs in her native Portuguese. Her tone is soothing but more sensual than her mother Miucha, a beloved Brazilian singer. Her new album All In One brims with this newfound romance.
The other featured guest of the evening is new to me but not to some of the Brazilians present in the audience. His sound combines what he learned in the streets as evidenced in his music for City of God and later in his interpretations of David Bowie in The Life Aquatic. His deep and trusting sound is truly captivating. He combines rock, samba, traditional gafiera, and disco to give a rousing and exciting performance. At the conclusion of the evening he combined with Babel, the Philharmonic, and the Carnival ladies to leave us in a party mood. This was preceded by a tribute to Carmen Miranda complete with spectacular fireworks by Souza. "Blame it on Rio" played for two consecutive nights at the Hollywood Bowl.
Article comments
1 - George
I have been a subscriber to the Hollywood Bowl since the late 80's and this concert started off good with the performances of the the orchestra alone. But once the concert switched to the special guests it quickly became one of the most painful concerts to sit through. The sound was horrible with the keyboardist overshadowing the sound often. It was certainly for me and the other 5 people in our group the worst concert of the season. I challenge you on saying there was close to 17,000 in attendance both nights. On Friday night the bowl did not seem anywhere near that. The capacity for the bowl is 17,376 and there were many sections pretty empty.
2 - ROBERT MACHRAY
from where I sat there were no sound problems. I was told on sat there were 17000 but i think the person thought the bowl sat 20 k. compared to classical tuesday it was very full. I loved the concert as did my companion
better luck next year
3 - George
I googled Hollywood Bowl capacity and that is where i came up with the 17,376 number. Anyways! I guess they can't please everyone every night. The part of the Orchestra alone was very pleasing, the special guests just did nothing for me. But I will be back next year. The summer would not be complete without evenings under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl listening to the Los Angeles Phil or Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. It is one of the many great treasures for us in Los Angeles. Enjoy the rest of the year!