Glasgow date for showcase of 'best musicals of all time'
'The level of accomplishment is astonishingly high. So yes, choosing 24 is extraordinarily difficult.'
Prepare to be enchanted this June, as John and his famous orchestra, Sinfonia of London, return to Glasgow with his UK tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Greatest Hits.
This spectacular concert will feature songs from the greatest musicals of all time, including South Pacific, The Sound Of Music, Oklahoma!, Carousel (which celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025), and The King and I.
(Image: CHRIS CHRISTODOULOU)
'Because Richard Rodgers was so celebrated, the movies spared no expense in terms of the scores, so they were recorded by the best musicians of the day,' says John.
'To have a go at recreating them in a live arena, is a gift."
John is renowned for his passion and expertise in interpreting music from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and he has been celebrated for bringing a fresh yet faithful sound to classic scores.
John Wilson (Image: Sim Canetty-Clarke)
"The majority of my musical life is spent in that period from the 30s to the 60s, for the simple reason that those were musicals with orchestras," he says. "Once you get to the 60s and the 70s, the advent of rock and pop musicals, they didn't use orchestras any more, with the occasional exception."
He adds: "The change started with Oklahoma!, which was really the first musical where the songs grew out of the plot and developed the characters - although they do still all stand alone as fantastic songs too. They are all hits."
John Wilson (Image: Sim Canetty-Clarke)
He smiles. "And audiences will have the chance to hear them, the exact arrangements from the films, played by our 70-piece orchestra. They are outstanding, I'm very proud of them."
Sinfonia of London, reformed by Wilson in 2018, is comprised of some of the UK's leading musicians. It has received rave reviews for its previous performances, including an exhilarating appearance at last year's Proms in the Albert Hall in London.
John agrees it is 'always a thrill to play at the Proms' but he is also keenly looking forward to his Glasgow concert, which will take place on June 28 at the Royal Concert Hall.
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'I love the Concert Hall,' he says, enthusiastically. 'I don't get much time to guest conduct any more because I am so busy with my own orchestra, but I do still try to come to the RSNO, because I love the orchestra and I love the hall.
'Glasgow audiences are kind of famous, they want to be entertained, so you can't short-change them.'
He adds: 'There is always such a buzz, and that kind of reciprocity between stage and audience is what makes a great concert.'
Born in Gateshead, John studied composition and conducting at the Royal College of Music. His desire to conduct his own orchestra was "always there", he says.
"Someone once said, you're either a conductor or you're not and I have always felt like I am," he says, simply.
"Even when I was really young, 14, and really terrible at it, I felt like I was a conductor.
"I went to college and studied it, and realised how difficult it is, and I have never really stopped practising since."
John and the orchestra will be joined on the tour once again by special guest soloists Louise Dearman, Nathaniel Hackmann and Scarlett Strallen.
'When I find singers I admire and trust, who really respect the material, I tend to hang on to them,' he says smiling.
'This will be such a lot of fun. Music is one of the great civilising forces - it offers solace, it uplifts.'
He adds: 'When the world is in a mess, you want to make it better, and I think the only thing me and my orchestra can do is to keep on trying to do exactly that."
John Wilson and Sinfonia of London will perform Rodgers & Hammerstein Greatest Hits at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on June 28.
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