Christmastime in New York City is not complete without a New York Pops concert at Carnegie Hall, and its holiday concet Merry and Bright is a great stocking stuffer. The Pops’ 334th concert features returning guest chorus Essential Voices USA (aka EVUSA, under the expert direction of Judith Clurman) and actor/singer Jessica Volk (Wicked, Hell’s Kitchen).
Carnegie Hall has once again trotted out the same unusual holiday wreath arrangement, beneath which the Pops’ cherished conductor Stephen Reineke begins the concert with a splashy, satisfying overture of various holiday tunes, excellently arranged by James Stephenson.
Essential Voices USA joins the orchestra with a bright “We Need a Little Christmas” (Mame), providing rich vocal harmonies and crisp diction in this perennial favorite.
The special vocal guest artist of the evening is introduced, Jessica Vosk, who prances onto the stage dressed in black and gold puffery and first delivers “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” then “Do You Hear What I Hear” combined with “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” She follows with my first and favorite Joni Mitchell song ever, “River,” through which a gorgeous oboe strand is heard.
The orchestra treats us to a reprise of last year’s musically ornate “Carol of the Bells,” the bells and strings of which are reminiscent of reindeer and tiptoeing children, ending with a dramatic finish that Reineke remarks is akin to “Christmas in Hogwarts.” EVUSA continues with “The First Noel” which provides delicate, intricate harmonies and features cello and piano flourishes.
Vosk returns, jumping back to the 1970’s with Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and even further back with 1943’s enduring classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” before Act I ends with her and EVUSA popping out Mariah Carey’s 30-year-old (!) ubiquitously torturous radio hit “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
For Act II, the New York Pops thrills with a gorgeous “I Saw Three Ships” which is juxtaposed with a fun “Jingle Bell Rock” that begins with a ragtime start. Judith Clurman assumes the baton to lead EVUSA in a richly glorious “Eight Days of Light.” Vosk then takes the stage like a big strawberry in a fluffy red dress and gives a showy and blowy “Jingle Bells” which has been lifted directly from Barbra Streisand’s best-selling Christmas album, but not without credit given.
Surprise guest vocalist J. Harrison Ghee (12/21, Some Like It Hot, Kinky Boots)
joins Vosk for a tender and unlisted “Winter Song” before Vosk continues with a swinging, campy “Man with the Bag” and “Grown-Up Christmas List.” The concert rounded out with a much anticipated “O Holy Night” along with a repeat visit from last year’s Santa Claus, his elf Pecan Pie, and a holiday sing-along (Neil Patrick Harris was the surprise guest on 12/20).
The New York Pops is a beloved NYC treasure, and Essential Voices USA is quickly becoming its vocal equivalent in my entertainment roster. Vosk is a powerful singer with an infectious, personable nature that is often spontaneous. Her voice is technically superb but rarely organic; just when she’s set up a glorious note or phrase, she adds overworked vocal stylings which are distracting and unnecessary. Her renditions of many of the evening’s songs are peppered with affected riffs and chewed up notes which are better left as written. Vosk has definitely earned her place on many stages, she is just not my taste.
That said, I always look forward to the next New York Pops concert and will always recommend a subscription to this fantastic orchestra.
Merry and Bright (December 20th and 21st, 2024)
New York Pops
Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium
161 W 56th Street, in Manhattan
For more information about New York Pops, visit https://newyorkpops.org/