‘Summer Pops ’84’

Press, 3 February 1984, Page 4

‘Summer Pops ’84’

“Summer Pops ’84,” New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with Ron Goodwin, at the Town Hall Auditorium, February 2, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman. One has to hand it to Ron Goodwin — he knows what his audience wants and he knows how best to sell his

goods. As a composer and arranger, his music has a wide and immediate appeal. As a conductor, or rather presenter of music, as evidenced at the Town Hall Auditorium last evening, his charming and easy manner brought maximum enjoyment for all. For the capacity audience, his “Summer Pops ’B4” with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra was all sunshine and laughter. Without resorting to gimickry or / coarse musical humour Mr

Goodwin and a thoroughly relaxed orchestra produced a pleasing two hours of fine and light entertainment. Anyone looking for something of musical substance, however, would have been disappointed. The orchestra paddled mainly in the shallow world of film themes and orchestrated pop songs, splashing furiously with fortissimos and cymbal crashes aplenty to create the feeling of depth and excitement. An overblown “Star Wars,” “Theme from E.T.,” and “Clash of Loyalties” were good examples of this. The most satisfying items ■were a selection of three big-band tunes from the 1940 s (all included on the album recently released by the orchestra.) These were “Cherokee,” “Moonlight Serenade,” and “Carnival,”

all subtly arranged and neatly played with a modi-’ cum of swing. The featured and only extended item on the programme was Ron Goodwin’s “New Zealand Suite,” especially written for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and comprising a set of six movements, each based on an aspect of New Zealand. While there were many well crafted melodies in this work, the music was in the main predictable and undistinguished. To give credit, the sixth movement comprised one of the nicest arrangements of “Now is the Hour” that I have heard. All doubts about the musical substance aside, in the scheme of Summer Pops programmes, the evening was a successful one, starting the year off on a happy, light-hearted tone.