The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director Rossen Milanov, performs “Also sprach Zarathustra” during the CSO’s “Sounds of Strauss” performance July 30 in the Amphitheater.
ROCCO PRIOLETTI
Staff Writer
For Josh Groban, singing alongside a symphony orchestra is like “riding a wave.”
“To be up there, to feel the power of these incredible musicians, and the greatest in the world, really playing to the fullest the arrangements … That’s a luxury, and that’s something that I know that the audiences in these venues don’t take for granted when they get to visit their orchestras every day of the summer,” Groban said. “But, I certainly don’t take it for granted as a singer either when I get to be up there and feel the weight of that behind me.”
Groban first performed with a symphony orchestra when he was 16 years old during an inauguration concert at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, held for the state’s former Gov. Gray Davis.
“That was the first thing that (music producer) David Foster ever asked me to sing at. Ever! And it was in an arena with a full orchestra, conducted by the great Bill Ross,” Groban said. “It was the song, ‘All I Ask of You,’ from Phantom of the Opera, because somebody else had backed out and he needed a student that could do it quickly.”
The singer will be spotlighted yet again, performing an orchestra-backed rendition of “All I Ask of You” nearly 30 years later on Chautauqua Institution’s Amphitheater stage. This full-circle moment acts as a driving force behind the song, recalling the influence that performing as a teenager in his bedroom held.
“In this world we’re in, where things are moving so quickly and there are so many distractions, these songs really recenter me in a way,” Groban said.
At 8 p.m. tonight, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra will accompany Groban in the Amphitheater for an evening of cinematic and theatrical favorites. The pieces that comprise “Stage, Screen and Symphony” invigorate a sense of familiarity for Groban. He remembered watching “Casablanca” for the first time, hearing “As Time Goes By,” and collaborating with his father on his album rendition of “Moon River,” a song Groban grew up with.
“There’s such a nostalgia to this music. I think that one of the reasons why we chose some of these songs is that sense of smell, that saying, like when you open up a book and smell it — it brings you back to your childhood. That feeling is there for a lot of these songs,” Groban said.
In contrast to the “fragmented” landscape of contemporary music business, which sees listeners consuming songs as short bits, Groban approached the show with a cinematic perspective.
“We wanted to invite people the same way they would at a movie theater — close their eyes and let the curtains open and kind of go into that MGM kind of escapism that we all remember,” Groban said.
“Stage, Screen and Symphony” succeeds Groban’s latest record, CINEMATIC — a love letter to the music that allows the silver screen to come alive. Groban grew up with a deep admiration for film composers like John Williams, Michael Kamen and James Horner. Likewise, he resonated with the inclusion of pop music in films like “Moulin Rouge!,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Bodyguard” growing up.
“You mute the film and you realize just how vital their compositions are to the emotions that come out of these films,” Groban said, broadening the scope from the cinema and into the living room with TV. “… Cartoons are what got me interested in classical music. … It’s a side door to appreciating the style of music.”
Whether onstage or in the recording studio, creating renditions of such beloved songs can prompt challenges, Groban said; for instance, a fine balance is needed when adhering to a composer’s original intentions while simultaneously imbuing the artist’s individual personality into it.
“It’s daunting, and it’s one of the reasons why it took me 25 years because it’s actually scarier in a lot of ways than putting your own things out there, because the songs are so iconic and you really want to treat them well,” Groban said.
Collaboration is an essential component to the work; he listed producer Greg Wells and the arrangers, who Groban called the “unsung heroes of these projects,” as being formative to achieving the final product.
“By the time you’re standing in the studio with 80 musicians behind (you), you’ve got something that you feel, hopefully, balances that world,” Groban said. “But, it’s a tightrope, and it’s a trust fall. That’s why when it all starts to come out of the speakers the way you want, it feels like a small miracle. But it’s really what we tried to do.”
Groban noted his excitement for Chautauquans to experience the various surprises, duets and collaborations “Stage, Screen and Symphony” has to offer. “Skyfall” is a piece that he is particularly excited to share with audiences.
“I almost feel like it was recorded to sing live. It is so epic, and it really represents just the size and scope of what that orchestra can accomplish; we’re going to have a full choir on it as well,” Groban said. “… It’s going to be a really special night of full-circle and new interpretations of stuff that I’ve loved for a long time.”
Groban shared his excitement about coming to the Amphitheater.
“I’m just so excited to be at this amazing venue under the stars. I mean, I love the natural component of where these great amphitheaters are,” Groban said. “And to be honest, it makes me feel like I’m going to camp. It’s a lot of fun. [I’m] looking forward to seeing everybody.”
