Over the holidays, I was fortunate enough to see the Boston Pops Holiday Pops concert. It should be on everyone’s bucket list. As expected, Symphony Hall was magnificent and the music was spectacular. But what made it so memorable was what wasn’t expected — the whimsy that they added to every element of the performance.
Some examples:
- Several of the classical instruments had ornaments or decorations attached to them
- The conductor (Keith Lockhart) wore bright red socks that peeked through while he was in motion
- The Greek statues that line Symphony Hall — naked men as in ancient times — wore stocking caps
- Sparkle the Christmas Wonder Horse made its annual appearance during one of the songs
- The song titles were traditional, but the arrangements were most certainly not
- The guest conductor (celebrity chef Tiffani Faison) did as much dancing as conducting
- Santa came and they handed out candy canes as everyone left
- Everything was decorated, from the red and green lights on the marquee to the same colors used for the inside elevator lighting
This easily could have been a straight-up musical performance, and had it been, it still would have been fantastic. But the extra touches they took care to incorporate made it not just a concert, but rather an event that many in New England have made part of their holiday tradition for generations.
Don’t become so focused on the music that you forget to make the whole production sing.
