Water theme runs through orchestra’s program

Audience members will be able to travel down the Danube, dive beneath the surface to the Titanic and enjoy Leonard Bernstein’s view of the waterfront without getting wet or leaving their seats at the Pasadena Pops Orchestra’s upcoming concerts dedicated to all things aqueous beginning Friday at Descanso Gardens.

Titled “Water, Water Everywhere,” the program will feature traditional works such as Georg Frederich Handel’s “Hornpipe” from “Water Music”; Johann Strauss Jr.’s “By the Beautiful Blue Danube” and Bedrich Smetana’s “Moldau” as well as contemporary favorites like James Horner’s “Titanic” theme. An arrangement of Franz Schubert’s “Trout Variations” by Concert Master Barry Socher is also on the program.

Music Director Rachael Worby first decided on the concept after reflecting on the importance of water in our daily lives and its role as a recurring theme in music.

“Water is our planet’s most precious commodity…,” said Maestra Worby, “I was inspired by the myriad ways in which water has been acknowledged in music, from ‘The Blue Danube’ to ‘South Pacific,’ and was sufficiently challenged by the notion that I decided to put a concert program together based on water.”

With Worby at the podium, the audience can not only expect to be treated to great music, but an educational experience as well, said Ernest Ehrhardt, a cellist with the Pops.

“She’s a great entertainer. She will bring you into the music, give you tidbits and knowledge and descriptive things you’re about to hear and how they tie into water …,” he said, “I learn something about the music or the composer every concert...”

Ehrhardt, a resident of Burbank, is looking forward to performing Bedrich Smetana’s “Moldau,” a symphonic poem on the Czechoslovakian river.

“The ‘Moldau’ is very difficult, very beautiful,” said Ehrhardt, “It’s all about rafting down the river. We go through rapids, [and] by a wedding on the banks of a river. It’s a beautiful work.”

The Pops will also be joined by baritone Nmon Ford on water-inspired selections such as “There’s A Boat That’s Leaving Soon For New York,” “You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and “Oh Shenandoah.” Ford is a two-time Grammy Award winner for his participation in the recording of William Bolcom’s “Songs of Innocence and of Experience” under the Naxos label, said Candyce Columbus, the public relations coordinator for the Pops.

The concert takes place in a large glen surrounded by oak trees within Descanso Gardens, Columbus said. The woody concert hall holds both tables with linen table cloths as well as theater seating toward the back.

“Some people bring their own [table] decorations and really get into decorating their own tables,” she said. “They’re really beautiful.”

The orchestra first moved to its summer garden venue in 1994. Since then, the concert series has grown in popularity and now sees about 2,000 audience members on Fridays and Saturdays, Columbus said.

Musicians agree that the atmosphere of the outdoor setting is a big draw for audiences, said Geoffrey Osika, a bassist in the orchestra.

“It’s a great place to play. I think the reason it’s been pretty much sold out almost every time is because of the music, sure, but equally probable because of the grounds,” said the Glendale resident. “You can look around as you’re listening and sort of take it all in. The acoustics are better in a concert hall, but you don’t get the effects of the outdoors.”

At the same time, the picturesque garden setting does require little adjustments on the musicians’ part, such as dealing with accumulating moisture on fingerboards, Ehrhardt said.

“It’s beautiful to be in the gardens, very relaxing, but as a musician, it’s a little bit humid, a little more challenging to play outdoors,” he said.

This is the first year the Pops has added a Sunday date to each of its themed concert weekends. The addition was made because of the fast rate at which seats were filling up, said Columbus.

“They really love them. It’s a great party they really enjoy,” she said. “Some people have said it’s the best concert they’ve been to so far and it keeps on getting better.”