Rich in timeless beauty, Carnegie Hall is discreet, perfect in design and is internationally acclaimed as a superior setting for artists and audiences. As the congregation entered the footlights and claimed their seats, an enchanting collective of the music of Randy Edelman echoed serenely throughout the Hall before the concert even began. When the last piece was about to climax, the lights dimmed. The composer came from behind the stage and with a kind of radiant modesty, walked over to the Steinway and began to play along with the music, note for note and flawlessly timed. An impressive opening and something never done before.
From there Edelman sang “Everything Is Possible” which was re-released near the onset of the Hamas militant attack on Israel and is a song of hope for the under-dog. It was also re-mixed in a hip-hop version featuring a rap from Grand Master Melle Mel, but was originally a classic from Edelman’s album “Switch of the Seasons.” He continued with “Don’t Forsake Me Now”, “If Love is Real” (as recorded by Olivia Newton-John,), “The Farmer” and somewhere in between the songs he announced in almost a whisper that eventually he’d be talking….
By the time he relayed the visibly emotional story of how Karen Carpenter recorded his song “You” the audience trusted him. By the time he performed his iconic “A Weekend In New England”, covered by Barry Manilow, (which became the biggest hit on the planet), he became the concert-goer’s close friend. He continued the voyage of the soundscape of his career with originals including “Uptown, Uptempo Woman” a song that was celebrated in England but was never fully on the radar here in the US until now. There is an inwardness about him that separates him from the showboats who tend to become America’s stars, however, his songs exampling “Isn’t It A Shame” recorded by Patti LaBelle, Shirley Bassey, and hip-hop star Nelly have had and still have an obvious impact on the music industry. The fact that the last song Bing Crosby recorded was Edelman’s and entitled “The Woman On My Arm”, (a song we learned he wrote for his grandparents) along with the backstage stories he told intrigued the audience. During much of the show the crowd had a surprised expression as if to say “I didn’t know that was one of his songs.”
One of the weightiest elements of the concert was his performance of Robert Schumann’s “Intermezzo.” The German composer was widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann’s passions emerged in waves, not unlike that of Edelman.
He displayed his ability to bounce with little effort from genre to genre, from savory to sweet, with whimsical songs like Joe Raposo’s Sesame Street hit “Bein’ Green” to an unprecedented and unforgettable performance of Rogers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the Broadway show Carousel. His moving and topical statement “All Along the Rhine” served as a segue to his completely unique medley of his nonstop, 25 years and still continuing career as a film score composer.
Edelman played excerpts from his soundtracks beginning with the honor of Gettysburg, the epic Civil War battle written and directed by Ronald F. Maxwell and produced by Ted Turner to British director Alan Parker’s internment camp themed “Come See Then Paradise.” He continued with Dragonheart and The Bruce Lee Story both directed by Rob Cohen (who flew in from Bali and occupied a seat in the crowd). He then performed Diabolique, and finally the mesmerizing Cora from “Last of the Mohicans” (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination) before he vamped into his melodic comedic strains of “My Cousin Vinny”, “The Mask”, “While You Were Sleeping”, “Kindergarten Cop “, “Ghostbusters ll”, and “Billy Madison.” He ended the epic brew with the rousing theme from the hit television show MacGyver and then stood and proclaimed “25 Years.” With that the audience stood and howled with their appreciation.
Edelman closed the show with a beautiful instrumental of “Where or When” by Rodgers and Hart and then stood, said goodnight and left the stage to a standing ovation, which I’m not even sure he saw. The crowd remained standing hoping for an encore which never happened….but he really didn’t need to!
Randy took some of us on an unexpected and emotional nostalgic journey down memory lane conjuring up recollections they had all but forgotten. For others it was a new flame that ignited the transient sparks that searched for a crazy new way to dance for a whole new generation. It was an impeccable, brilliant and triumphant Carnegie Hall debut for Edelman. A similar performance will be spotlighted by the composer on June 6, 2025 at Lincoln Center which will be presented by SohoJohnny’s Let Me Help, Inc.
Photo Credits: Billy Hess