Canberra Theatre
August 6, 2011
Concert review by Rama Gaind
The Ten Tenors are rhapsody in music. They gave a polished performance at the Canberra Theatre, treating the appreciative audience to a memorable night of eclectic musical repertoire.
Immaculately dressed in suits, they began the show with a trio of classics Il Gladiatore, Anvil chorus and All’ Improviso Amore which set the tone for a mesmerising night.
They came on stage, without preamble, and launched straight into the singing. You appraise their vocal ability by the fact that none of them flinched at the high notes. In fact, they sang in unison – with no note out of place – making you marvel at their collective singing capacity.
The tempo changed with The Boxer and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. The Tenors were adept at picking up on the mood of the audience and changing and deviating – and that was well received.
From the touching Pie Jesu and Miserere, the tender ache of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah to the unbridled power of the Aerosmith’s number one hit stadium rock ballad Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, the entertainment continued, interspersed with light anecdotes when group members interacted with their fans.
Australia’s “unofficial national anthem” – Waltzing Matilda – had a cascading rhythm and, of course, the first half would not have been complete without The Show Must Go On.
Musical highlights
The Ten Tenors have toured the world, played everywhere from our own Opera House to the Royal Albert Hall, met royalty and even appeared on Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure. They imparted some of the highlights during the evening.
With the ebb and flow of stage lighting, they sang Sarah McLachlan’s Angel, I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, they synchronised their movements perfectly for The Bohemian Rhapsody and with Anything for Love they announced that the end of the concert was imminent.
However, the music lovers clamoured for more. The encore was followed by Lullabye and then – what we were all waiting for – the world’s best-loved classical piece Nessun Dorma … that touched the soul. The great joy of music engulfed everyone, as the spotlight focused on two of the soloists Ben Stephens and Stewart Morris.
The show closer Hey Jude saw the crowd stand-up simultaneously, clapping, toe-tapping, swaying, calling for more, with the public sing-a-long chorus echoing in your mind as it all came to an end.
Their show is more than just Double Platinum: fluid movements on stage, thriving on interaction with the audience, the vocal power of the 10 is truly amazing, seamlessly complemented with a slick, fast-paced, infectious stage show where the individually different voices blend with skill to a climax of inspiring sound!
