Ravinia 2023 Issue 1

PATRICK GIPSON/RAVINIA Phenomenal duo performances have been the hallmark of Michael Feinstein’s recent Ravinia concerts, from 2018’s pairing with Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth to 2019’s match with the at turns growling and gauzy voice of Wheeling native Haley Reinhart to 2021’s glittering evening with stage and screen dynamo Betty Buckley (above). This time Feinstein leaves the band behind for a cozy cabaret with fellow pianist and Gershwin enthusiast Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Some of his favorite collaborations are with songwriters, he says. These include Burton Lane (“On a Clear Day You Can See Forever”), Hugh Martin (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”), and Jerry Herman (“I Won’t Send Roses”). “My favorite was with Rosemary Clooney, who was like my second mother,” Feinstein says. “When we were onstage, it was an extension of sitting in her living room socializing. The audience felt that. There was a great deal of love and joy in perform- ing together. I loved performing with Elaine Stritch because it was danger- ous. Singing with Nancy Wilson was daunting because I had such adora- tion for her. I’m not a jazz singer, but she said, ‘Baby, just do what you do.’ She didn’t want to rehearse, which had me in a tizzy. That impromptu performance was by the grace of God and Nancy flawless. Working with Debbie Reynolds was joyous.” Feinstein’s favorite singers get to the heart of what the song is about, he says. “Ethel Waters is one of my all- time favorites. She and Sophie Tucker, to me, are two of the most influential singers of the 20th century. Sophie is widely underestimated, but she was a dazzling interpreter.” “I have odd taste,” he adds with a laugh. Feinstein, not surprisingly, grew up in a musical household in his native Ohio. “My parents loved music,” he says. “My father loved to sing around the house; my brothers and sisters, too. There was always a lot of impromptu a cappella singing at our family gatherings. My mother was a very successful tap dancer in Columbus; in her late teens and early 20s, she was hired to perform at a lot of events and parties. I listened to the radio station my parents liked— American standards sung by different vocalists. I heard contemporary music and liked some of it. My sister, who is four years older, loved Joni Mitchell. I particularly liked [Carole King’s] Tapestry .” Feinstein is a tireless ambassador for the Great American Songbook. Was there ever a point when singing these standards intimidated him? “It was more songs that didn’t fit me,” he reflects. “It took me a while to embrace Cole Porter in the sense that a lot of his lyrics can be arch or have a sensibility that I didn’t relate to when I was younger. I did not relate to a song like ‘Lush Life’ at all. And I couldn’t sing ‘One for My Baby’ when I was in my 20s. I could sing it now. There are certain songs to which I didn’t feel a deep enough connection. Sometimes it’s going over a song and finding something unique about it and what I have to say about it: What would make my interpretation unique? That comes from the honesty of living the story and presenting it in a way that is authentic.” Feinstein looks forward to return- ing to Ravinia. “Ravinia is particularly fun because you’re close enough to the audience,” he says. “Some outdoor venues don’t have that feeling of inti- macy. Also, Chicago audiences have the best of both coasts in sensibility. They are at once extraordinarily eru- dite and also laid back in a Midwest sort of way. I appreciate that. I grew up in the Midwest. There is a feeling of comfort and familiarity.” In straddling the worlds of classic pop and classical music, “Two Pianos” casts an open tent in a way that fur- ther legitimizes popular song. There is a sense of comfort that the music will continue to find new listeners, Feinstein says. He tells a story about Liza Minnelli: “She recorded an album with the Pet Shop Boys. The album was very successful in England, and a lot of young fans who only knew about her from the Pet Shop Boys started com- ing to her shows. ‘They know nothing about Cabaret ’ [or cabaret, for that matter]. I asked, ‘What are you going to do musically? She said, ‘Honey all I have to do is get ’em in the seats.’ And that made sense to me. She had confidence that what she did would entertain them. That’s how I feel about this program. Regardless of where people are in their musical tastes, I feel this is an entertaining program. I hope they’ll get in the seats.” Donald Liebenson is a Chicago-based entertainment writer. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune , Chicago Sun-Times , Los Angeles Times , and on RogerEbert.com. The first Ravinia concert he attended without his parents was Procol Harum in 1970. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JUNE 6 – JULY 2, 2023 8