Divas of the 60'sColorado Springs Philharmonic
Conductor: Thomas Wilson
Date: February 11, 2017

If there was one thing I learned about this performance by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, it’s that I really didn’t start paying attention to music until the 1970’s. Perhaps it was due to not understanding or appreciating the Motown style, but there were quite a few songs during the concert that I just straight didn’t recognize. Even some famous songs just passed right by my recognition. This is all likely my own fault, but the experience was still nice, nonetheless.

Of the pieces I did recognize, it was fun to sing along, especially with the enhanced music the philharmonic could provide to accompany it. There were times, though, that the music drowned out the singers and I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but that also may have been due to my location in the uppermost part of the balcony of the Pike’s Peak Center. Either way, the visuals provided by the lights and variety of dresses of the singers could be clearly seen from up there and the ambiance was certainly appreciated.

As for the songs themselves, they certainly ran the gamut. From Aretha Franklin to Nancy Sinatra to Leslie Gore, most of these songs I had only really experienced through period piece movies set in the 1960’s. Having them performed live with a full orchestra was quite the treat. That being said, I was glad that “Macarthur Park” was an orchestral piece that didn’t encompass the whole song. I also would have liked a bit of contrast with the Leslie Gore song they picked with “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows,” just to show how ridiculous some of the music from the 1960’s could really be. Despite this missed opportunity, the musicians certainly brought these songs to new life with their instruments.

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