(Photo Credit: Emily Lehr)
Gregory Alan Isakov’s performance with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center was a magical combination of classical textures and authentic folk, and it was an auditory candy store for this classically trained violinist and folk singer-songwriter.
Every instrument incorporated into Isakov’s storied melodies, from the orchestral arrangement that provided texture and supporting characters to the obligatory and very welcome folk characters like the banjo and pedal steel, cultivated a soundscape of home and wandering all at once. Melodic fills from the bassoon, flutes, and oboe sounded like friendly echoes of Isakov’s message. The foundation of the symphony only empowered the poetry that Isakov sang into the mic, as honestly and intimately as if he were singing to the crops on his farm in Colorado. My inner child that grew up listening to eclectic folk and Appalachian fiddle tunes was soothed and celebrated by Isakov’s nylon string classical guitar and the fiddler’s unabashed passion and movement with which he pulled his licks from the strings; and as a classical violinist, I was equally comforted by the atmospheric wonder provided by the symphony orchestra. At one point in the show, the strings even began trading licks with the banjo player, fully cementing the blend of contemporary folk and symphony.
I try to find a moment of introspection and spirituality at every concert I attend. I waited for the moment to reveal itself on Tuesday night at the symphony center, and then Isakov and his musical accompanists began playing “Second Chances.” As he sang, “If it weren’t for second chances, we’d all be alone,” I felt any inklings of disappointment and shame bloom into hope as I was reminded that we have all experienced hardship and failure, and we choose to love and forgive one another anyway.
To close out the show, Isakov and his band surrounded an ear trumpet microphone and bid the audience goodbye with some heartwarming harmonies backed by the symphony. Earlier in the show while Isakov was describing the preparation and practice the band and symphony had done for this performance, he stated that they all had, “giant smiles the whole time, and I hope it’s translating.” I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, those giant smiles were translated and transferred to everyone in the symphony hall that evening.
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