MUSIC REVIEW: Judy Collins Shines at The Clark

Submitted by Lesley Ann Beck on February 23, 2010 - 3:36pm
Classical Music

 

 
An Evening with Judy Collins
February 20, 2010

Review by Lesley Ann Beck
 
(WILLIAMSTOWN, February 20, 2010) When I think of the iconic folksingers of the 1960s and 70s, the ones whose music formed the soundtrack to my life in those years, Judy Collins is certainly on my playlist. Her renditions of hauntingly beautiful traditional Celtic tunes, as well as unforgettable versions of certain songs by writers like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, are the ones that echo in my mind.
 
 
More than forty albums and innumerable concerts later, Judy Collins is still practicing her craft, making recordings and performing across the country. Saturday evening she gave a concert at The Clark in Williamstown, and, after all these years, I finally got to see her perform live.
 
 
After a brief introduction, Collins came onstage in a red velvet tunic and narrow black trousers, her signature long hair flowing over her shoulders. She opened the concert with the classic “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell, accompanying herself on a twelve-string guitar and with her music director, Russell Walden, at the grand piano. Collins looked gorgeous, she sounded great, and the smallish auditorium at the museum—with every seat filled—was perfect for an intimate evening of songs.
 
 
The second song was an old favorite of mine, “Someday Soon,” performed with a fresh arrangement and a terrific piano solo. Collins’s soprano voice is rich and true, with amazing control and lovely phrasing. The third selection was a sing-a-long of “Cat’s in the Cradle,” interspersed with some traditional madrigals, which showcase her voice beautifully.
 
 
Collins seemed completely at ease on stage (of course), chatting with the audience between songs, sharing humorous stories about her family and days past on the folk-music circuit. The songs are a well-chosen mix of traditional folk music, favorites—greatest hits, if you will—from Collins’s past recordings, and some wonderful new pieces.
 
 
She continued with a compelling rendition of Amy Speace’s “Weight of the World,” a new anti-war song, and finished the first set with one of her own compositions, “Open the Door.”
 
 
After a short intermission, Collins returned to the stage in a sparkly black pant suit cut like a tuxedo, looking very glamorous. She started the second half of the evening with “Chelsea Morning,” one of her most famous hits, followed by a mash-up of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and “Country Roads,” which included a bit of audience participation. She next sang Sandy Denny’s great song, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” followed by the traditional ballad “Anathea,” from one of her earliest albums.
 
 
She excels at telling the story at the heart of the song, and at telling nice rambling stories about the glory days of folk music. Her next selection was “Diamonds and Rust,” written by Joan Baez—Collins and Baez sang it together at Newport last summer and it has been recorded as a duet for Collins’s new album, Paradise.
 
 
Leonard Cohen is another songwriter whose work was often recorded by Collins, and her next song was his “Bird on a Wire,” with a nice honky-tonk piano accompaniment layered behind Collins’s rhythm guitar.
 
 
At this point in the evening, Collins turned from the guitar to the piano. She trained as a classical pianist as a girl, and still plays beautifully. She performed Jimmy Webb’s “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress” followed by one of her own compositions, “Blizzard (The Colorado Song).” Her skill as a teller of tales really shone on “Blizzard,” which showcased not just her wonderfully nuanced performance but the poignant and evocative lyrics and melody as well.
 
 
Collins returned to the microphone at center stage and the pianist played the opening notes to “Send in the Clowns,” arguably one of her most well-known recordings. She sang the Stephen Sondheim number very simply but beautifully, with microphone in hand. The audience, of course, gave her a standing ovation afterwards.
 
 
She finished the evening by sitting back at the piano to perform “Since You’ve Asked,” another piece I recall from years ago, with words and music by Collins. A nice choice to finish the concert.
 
 
All in all, it was a wonderful evening at The Clark; and Judy Collins offered a well-chosen mix of old and new, songs with lyrics I know by heart and songs I was hearing for the first time. It was a delight.
 
 

 

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