When: March 16, 2010
Where: Cafe Carlyle-35 East. 76th St.
官方網站 : http://www.leasalonga.com/
好啦，我分類放在看戲的類別，因為它算是心得，而且我們可愛的Lea 有一半的曲目是百老匯選曲，就放在同一類囉。不過我得事先聲明一下，為了寫這篇英文心得，我熬夜熬了四個晚上寫的，請不要叫我再翻成中文了，就耐心點看完它吧~
7:15PM on Tuesday March 16th, I just finished teaching my last student of the day, and then started running towards the train. Yes, it was the day I went to Ms Lea Salonga’s performance at Café Carlyle. When I was transferring to take the 6 train uptown at 53rd & Lexington, my friend called to check where I was. We didn’t make the reservation because I needed to teach until late. I wasn’t even sure if I could make it. We were just betting our luck to see Lea live. “No one’s here, just try your best to come as early as possible.” That’s what my friend called to tell me. I thought she was about to tell me she couldn’t get in. And my pulse increased, my heart beat faster, I was getting all excited. “I am going to see Lea’s live performance! It sure has been a long time!” The last time I got to see Lea live was in August 2007, at the Broadway in Bryant Park event, when Lea delivered her breathtaking rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” during her run in Les Miserables back then. Now two and a half years later, she’s back again! When I finally arrived at the subway station near Café Carlyle, it was already 8:30PM, when my friend called again. “Run here! The café is suddenly PACKED for no reason. RUN!” So I started running and finally made it to the Café at 8:40PM, just about time for the performance scheduled to start at 8:45PM. Still trying to catch up with my breaths, I rushed to my friend at a table on the stage right side. We didn’t even have a chance to talk, the lights dimmed.
Lea opened the night with a Pacific dance like song which immediately drew every audience’s heart into her music. The music was happy, light-weighted, yet rhythmic that made you want to swing your body along with it in a casual and relaxed way. It was in a language I didn’t understand. The only word I could recognize was mu-Si-ka, which in almost all languages it refers to “music.” Then in Filipino, Lea thanked every one who was there the night, and expressed her pride of being a Filipino. Don’t ask me how I knew it, I just did before she finally joked and started speaking in English. She explained the opening number “Salamat, Salamat Musika” as a way of her appreciation towards music since she started singing back when as far as she could remember. “As a child performer, it was inappropriate to sing love songs.” Lea recalled what her mother’s opinion was when she was singing at the age of 7. So she started singing “Sing,” a nicely written song simply about “singing.” When talking about not knowing she should prepare a monolog when she auditioned at such a young age, Lea gave the audience an amazing fast-paced Girl Scout pledge with perfectly clear articulation in a funny little girl tone, followed by another interesting song “Matchmaker” from Fiddler on the Roof. Then a beautiful classic in her repertoire “Tomorrow” from Annie before she sang one of my all time favorite, “deleted” song from Miss Saigon “Too Much For One Heart.” It’s a dramatically stunning piece that Lea delivered majestically. The band managed the piece beautifully. However it’s rather thin-textured when you know what an orchestra can do to illustrate the same piece with a total different sonority. After the expressive aria from Miss Saigon, Lea switched the atmosphere by singing a sweet, intimate rendition of “Someone To Watch Over Me” (Crazy For You.) After the lingering “Someone To Watch Over Me,” Lea delivered “I Have Dreamed” from The King and I with such a breathtaking interpretation, there’s no any other rendition can outgrow it anymore, nothing that I could think of. Even her recording with Julie Andrews only shows her youth back then. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s actually how the character’s supposed to be. It was the most sensitive, expressive and touching version I’ve ever heard that night at Café Carlyle. I wonder when I’ll have the chance to hear anything like that again in the future.
Then it was “On My Own.” Came to think of it, it was actually the first time I ever heard Lea singing the piece that made me fall for her at the first place. With no doubts it was beautiful. After “On My Own,” there were “Something’s Comin,” “Fallin” and “I Still Believe in Love.” Then Lea started talking about the setting up of her dating with Rob, “The first time I was in a relationship; the second time I was breaking up with the relationship; the third time…” Then it came the hilarious “There’s Nothing I wouldn’t Do” by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich. The 70s theatrical style with the humorous lyrics in it, it has the style of the speech-like melody with the jumping intervals. Maybe I should just say, a song that’s extremely hard to master. Not to mention to make it sound effortlessly. But Lea just did. You could only feel the roller-coaster style of the song, how pitch-perfect Lea’s singing was. And then the song just won the smile from everyone in the audience, and the endless applause. After the Marcy & Zina song, it was Lea’s signature “Journey.” “Journey” was sung after a short beautiful segment from some song I didn’t recognize. I would appreciate a lot if anyone could give me any information of the song. I was so touched by it and looked forward to the beautiful un-heard song that Lea brought to us, but then found out it was led to the song that you could always find new meanings in it, the “Journey.” “Two Words” was next. Another piece one can easily fall in love with when he/she hears it at the very first time. A very beautifully written song, Lea sang it with such warmth and delicacy. You could simply share the peaceful happiness along with the melody and words on scene. After the song, Ms Lea told the audience that “Two Words” was actually her wedding gift. The subject about her marriage with Rob connected to her protective mother. She would be suspicious of any guy being close to her daughter. And would “pat any flies” that landed on her. Just like “Waray-Waray.” So here came another interesting song with the language I didn’t understand. It was a spirited, positive, and straight forward song. With the rhythmic accompaniment it also showed some cuteness in it. Just too bad I couldn’t understand the language to fully appreciate the meaning of the song. After the song Lea explained it’s a song about woman warrior, which led to the lyrical “Reflection” (Mulan.) When talking about the Disney princes, of course the night wouldn’t be complete without “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. Lea then started talking about the Disney princes, about how Nicole recognized her voice as the animated characters, and the piano gradually faded in and repeated the introduction of “A Whole New World” in the background. All of a sudden the bassist started singing the Aladdin part that surprised every one in the venue. The musicians took turn singing the song; first the bassist followed by the pianist, the drummer, and the guitarist was last. It was an interesting and comedic arrangement with the ending when all the musicians joined the chorus to finish the song. It was the last number of the night. The audience was entertained by the arrangement with no doubts. Ms Lea bowed and left the stage. Shortly she went back and gave the audience the “encore” of the night, a credit dedicated to her daughter, a beautiful combination of “Your Song” and “Someone’s Waiting For You.” The warmth, the tenderness, the focus that showed in the singing, it was nothing but genuinely touching and beautiful. It was Ms Lea Salonga at Café Carlyle on Tuesday March 16th.
It was my first time attending Lea’s as well as a cabaret show. In a cabaret, the distance between the audience and the performer is very close and maybe intimate. That’s one feature you don’t find from the event held in a concert hall. But the disadvantages of it are the short program and the dining option. Another reason we didn’t make the reservation in advance was because the receptionist told us the order of an entrée was required. And we all know the cost of it. Of course there’s nothing wrong to dine in and enjoy the show afterwards. It’s just not the option we prefer. Obviously the audience that night had the same choice as we did. Most people just ordered a drink or dessert. Our main purpose was to see Lea’s show. Not the fine dining choice. And about the program. I was so busy focusing on Lea’s show; I didn’t take out the pen to take notes of what the program was. I tried to “record” everything I saw and heard deeply in my head. I was into the details so much that I remembered all the songs Lea sang that night, even the ones I didn’t understand at all. And suddenly the show was over! Just a little more than an hour, it was already the end. We couldn’t get enough! We lingered around the café a little longer in hope of catching Lea for some pictures but in vain. We only found one event poster outside the cafe. Well, better than nothing. Posing to the poster for some pictures, then we called it a night and left.
One thing we should all give credits for: the musicians. Ms Lea’s singing was one thing we love and fall for, but the show wouldn’t be in such a success without the four amazing musicians, especially the pianist and musical director Mr. Larry Yurman. Of course the bassist, drummer and guitarist were also amazing, but Mr. Yurman’s beautiful, delicate articulation was just, incredible. The fantastic team work gave the audience an unforgettable musical feast that would stay in their hearts, forever.
這篇心得是在音樂會的兩週後寫的，曲目順序其實記不太清楚，只好硬著頭皮寫下去，文章發表以後Lea 很好心的告訴我完整曲目，就貼出來和各位分享囉~
Salamat Salamat Musika (譯 謝謝音樂，菲律賓原創歌曲)
My Romance/Let's Fall In Love (我不知道這兩首的出處)
Sing/Tomorrow/Matchmaker, Matchmaker/I Have Dreamed(芝麻街/安妮/屋上提琴手/國王與我)
Too Much For One Heart (西貢小姐)
On My Own (悲慘世界)
Something's Coming (西城故事)
Fallin'/I Still Believe in Love (They're Playing Our Song 似乎香港翻成 戀上你的歌)
There's Nothing I Wouldn't Do (知名音樂劇作辭作曲搭檔 Marcy Heisler 與 Zina Goldrich 的創作)
Someone to Watch Over Me (為你瘋狂)
Two Words (菲律賓原創歌曲)
Waray-Waray (菲律賓原創歌曲)
Reflection (花木蘭)
A Whole New World (阿拉丁)
There'll Be Time/The Journey (第一首不清楚，第二首為菲律賓原創)
Your Song/Someone's Waiting for You (紅磨坊/救難小英雄)
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