Mannheim Steamroller
- Kris
- Dec 15, 2015
- 3 min read
I think the first time I realized I actually liked Christmas music was when my mom came home one night with the red Christmas Extraordinaire album and played the first song, "Hallelujah." It came out in 2001, so I would have been 11 years old.
It seems to be a thing - my mom comes home with music and I steal it for myself. Quite literally, I held onto that album as my own.
Ever since then, Mannheim Steamroller has been a staple of our holiday season, though I believe we only have two of their many Christmas albums.
With a modern twist on Christmas classics and sometimes a refreshing nod to the past with instruments of the Renaissance, Mannheim Steamroller's interpretation of music is never quite what you'd expect.
That's what I love about it. Sometimes, it's 80's infused synth with a rock twist, and other times it's a simple flute with a drumbeat.
This is one of the first years I was especially selective with the Christmas shows I was going to go to. When I saw that Mannheim Steamroller was playing in Baltimore and TSO was playing in DC on the same day, I knew my decision was going to be between those two great acts. Baltimore is closer, easier to get to after work, and I've always liked Mannheim Steamroller better anyway (don't get offended - TSO is still on my concert bucket list!).
Our tickets were for December 10th, and this time it was Mom, Dad, the Boyfriend, and I. We got there right in time because 695 is the devil.
The show was honestly, really amazing. The music was everything I wanted, and I think the Boyfriend and Dad actually enjoyed it too, having no idea what to expect. I think it's hard not to enjoy their music because their interpretations of the usual Christmas songs we hear every year are so fresh.
My favorite though was "Pat a Pan" which was more along the Renaissance vein of their music and still a Christmas song, as I've now learned. The simplicity of the tune was refreshing in the midst of their more symphonic-pop compositions. In the background, an accompanying video portrayed the story of a drum being gifted to a young boy who grows up, falls in love, and goes to war - and then the drum is passed on to his son.
From the first half, I also really liked their modern "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Deck the Halls," favorites from the albums I own.
To my surprise they played more than just their Christmas music in the second half. There was a balanced handful of their Fresh Aire music, which I was not familair with. Each song had video interpretations accompanying in the background, and some were a little more wild than others. The tribute to "Leonardo" - the artist not the turtle- was particularly moving.
And finally the show ended on "Carol of the Bells," "Auld Lang Syne," and an encore of "Silent Night" to bring it back to Christmas.
For a hot check of reality though, the seats at the Lyric are awful. I mean, I could see everything perfectly fine, even with being a shorter person in Orchestra seats. But the chairs themselves are particularly compact and uncomfortable for theater seats.
So naturally, I got up at Intermission to stretch and spend money. I purchased their 30/40 album on vinyl.
Did I mention it's blue? It's blue. And awesome.
Edited June 2016 from post originally published December 15, 2015 via Wordpress
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