MARVIN HAMLISCH"S LAST INTERVIEW EVER

They're playing his songs

Conductor Marvin Hamlisch leads the Pasadena POPS through an opening-night concert based on his own Broadway musical

By Carl Kozlowski 06/14/2012

Like it? Tweet it! SHARE IT!

One can only imagine just how crowded Marvin Hamlisch’s fireplace mantle must be. Most people put up their kids’ soccer trophies or their Salesperson of the Year plaque. Hamlisch has to find space for three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony and three Golden Globe awards.

To say nothing of his Pulitzer Prize for drama, Hamlisch is one of only 11 people ever to win all four of the biggest awards in show business — the Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. And for the second year in a row, Pasadena has had the honor of having Hamlisch wield the baton as the principal conductor of the Pasadena POPS, a role he will resume this Saturday as the popular musical ensemble kicks off its Summer Season 2012 opening concert at their new onstage home at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens in Arcadia.

Their move to the Arboretum, from their last performance space outside the Rose Bowl in the Arroyo Seco, displaces the California Philharmonic from its longtime home. That ensemble will debut its own summer season, known as the Festival on the Green, at Santa Anita Park on June 30.

“Working with these musicians has been a total delight,” says Hamlisch, who also conducts POPS orchestras in Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Dallas, Seattle and San Diego. “Since we’re so close to the movie industry, nearly all of our performers work in the studio orchestras creating the music for television and films.”

That fact could be the key to the success of this Saturday’s opening concert, which will be a special concert adaptation of Hamlisch’s classic Broadway musical “They’re Playing Our Song,” featuring guest artists singer/actress Lucie Arnaz and legendary comedian Robert Klein in the singing leads. “Song” featured a book written by Neil Simon, but Hamlisch composed the score while his former songwriting (and romantic) partner Carole Bayer Singer dreamed up the lyrics.
The original Broadway run of “Song” marked one of Hamlisch’s earliest career milestones, following a childhood in which he grew up surrounded by music thanks to his musician father as well as 13 years of his own training at the prestigious Juilliard Conservatory of Music. Hamlisch also fondly recalls being the main piano accompanist for Barbra Streisand during her breakthrough phase in New York.

“Her voice was just magical, and it was exciting to perform with her because you knew you were in the presence of something special that would become a world classic at any moment,” says Hamlisch. “And it’s been great to share a lasting friendship with her ever since as we each achieved our career dreams.”

While Hamlisch has become an indelible name in composing and songwriting, it’s surprising that he is quick to note that he modestly regards himself as “a gun for hire.”

“I’m not someone who always has a tune in his head just waiting to jump out,” says Hamlisch, known for such classic melodies as “The Way We Were” and the scores for “The Sting” and  Broadway’s “A Chorus Line.”

“When I go out to lunch, I don’t whip out a pad of paper and start singing ‘I’m having a lovely sandwich.’ I also don’t write the lyrics in the first place,” he says. “I need to read the book you want adapted, or see the footage you want scored. All my composing comes from reacting to and building on other existing material.”

The current POPS Summer Season has plenty of interesting material to work with as well. He and the POPS will play host to five-time Grammy-nominated pianist Michael Feinstein on July 21 as they back him on a tour of classics from the Great American Songbook. The evening of Aug. 18 brings the show “La Dolce Vita,” in which the POPS will back the pop-opera group Poperazzi as they sing songs by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to the Stones in operatic fashion. And finally, the season comes to an end on Sept. 8, when guest pianist Kevin Cole teams with the orchestra to perform George Gershwin’s immortal “Rhapsody in Blue” as part of the season’s closing “Gershwin on the Green” concert.
“I’m very excited to bring this collection of music to the fans of the POPS, and in such a stunning venue as the Arboretum,” says Hamlisch. “You can’t beat the combination of beautiful music in a beautiful setting.” 

The Pasadena POPS open its Summer Season 2012 with “They’re Playing Our Song” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Call (626) 792-7172 or visit pasadenasymphony-pops.com.                                                                            

THE REAL-LIFE MUSIC MAN: MARVIN HAMLISCH

Marvin goes POP


Legendary Marvin Hamlisch leads the Pasadena POPS in performing his own hits

By Carl Kozlowski 07/21/2011

After a career in which he has won four Emmys, four Grammys, three Golden Globes, three Oscars, a Tony as well as a Pulitzer Prize, Marvin Hamlisch has certainly become accustomed to being the center of attention. But he probably never expected the whirlwind of controversy he was entering when he accepted his job as the new conductor of the Pasadena POPS.



Arriving in the midst of upheavals that saw longtime conductor Rachael Worby resign after a decade of handling the POPS baton, Jorge Mester resign after a quarter-century at the helm of the Pasadena Symphony, and a battle royale between the California Philharmonic and the POPS over the right to perform at the LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Hamlisch has remained above the fray.



If anything, he was the picture of diplomacy, exuding optimism for the arts in a recent conversation with PW about his conducting debut this Saturday, as he leads the POPS in a concert on the lawn adjacent to the Rose Bowl.



“I don’t feel that this is a competition,” says Hamlisch. “I feel there’s a lot of great music to be played and there’s room for all three orchestras. You don’t have to pick one or the other. I know what I do, and I can’t wait until people actually see me do it.”



Hamlisch’s confidence is born from a lifetime spent hearing and playing music. The son of an accordionist and bandleader, the lifelong New Yorker was playing songs on the radio by ear at 5 and was accepted to the legendary Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division before he turned 7.



From there, his life was a whirlwind: playing piano for Barbra Streisand at her rehearsals, then later playing at parties for movie producer Sam Spiegel. It was through his connection with Spiegel that Hamlisch earned his big break, composing the score for the film “The Swimmer.”



From there, his life has been a collection of impressive musical milestones. He wrote or co-wrote countless classics, including the musical score for Best Picture winner “The Sting” and the theme song for the timeless Robert Redford-Streisand romance “The Way We Were.” He doesn’t compose film scores as often anymore, with his last major film being 2009’s political satire “The Informant!” But Hamlisch has kept himself more than busy with his second career as the director for seven POPS orchestras around the country.



“I work with Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Seattle, San Diego and Dallas besides Pasadena,” explains Hamlisch. “Each symphony has a person I talk to and we sit down and decide what’s best to perform based on budget — we can’t always get a specific star we want because we can’t afford a given star. We get good ideas about what makes a show and if it works. I take it somewhere else.

“So here in Pasadena I’ll be doing shows based on my music, Broadway or film. The whole idea of these things is to show off the wonderful music and have a good time. There’s a lot of humor in the shows.”



Hamlisch’s first love was composing, but he made the move into conducting after his agent told him that one of his idols, George Gershwin, had engaged in both forms of work. Hamlisch recalls: “I thought if it’s good enough for Gershwin, it’s good enough for me.”



Having found success the four biggest arenas of modern entertainment, Hamlisch won’t admit to having a favorite genre. But he does admit that there are key differences between conducting for movies and theatrical musicals.



“The key in films is creating background music to support the story, so that often people don’t notice it’s there,” says Hamlisch. “In a musical, you’re using music and lyrics to keep the story moving, so they’re much more in the forefront, and people are therefore more aware of the music.”



When he’s not working, Hamlisch still keeps himself awash in music. He counts Leonard Bernstein as his composing idol, but says that he can appreciate tunes in many styles, ranging from Earth Wind & Fire to Bach, Beethoven and Michael McDonald. But right now he’s eager to hear the musicians he’s about to work with for the first time: the performers in the Pasadena POPS.

“These are top notch musicians from Pasadena. I haven’t met them yet, and my first rehearsal is next week,” says Hamlisch. “I look forward to showing what a good POPS concert is all about: American music and a good time. That’s what my philosophy is and what it’s all about.”