The four minute song

The Symphony Sessions; David Foster, piano

When I joined the Crown Odyssey in 1993, I had a ton of music to learn, including three review shows. The material for any one review show, back in those days (!), came from many sources: a full scene from a musical, a song from a movie, a rock and roll tune or maybe just an obscure tune as a backdrop for some beautiful choreography. The latter can often provide an opportunity to oust some little known yet charming song from its sanctuary of inconspicuousness to have an alluring rendezvous in the spotlight with one who can express more with movement than with their mouth.

A vignette such as this occurred in one of these review shows. The musicians in the band had to wear headphones during the show to listen to the click-track with which we would play along. During one vignette, however, we were told to just lay out completely and let the tape provide all of the music. This was fine. It was nice to have a break in the middle of the show for a few minutes. The first time I heard the music, though, it knocked me off my piano stool. Thank God we played behind a curtain.

A piano sounds awesome with a symphony orchestra, may I say that? Any time that a solo instrument pairs up with the sweet, sweet strains of a string section, magic happens for sure. But it’s different with a piano. Maybe the percussive nature of the initial report followed by a silvery yet dying sustain coalesces in a unique way with the perpetuation of tone when the bow mates with the string. Whatever the essence of the relationship, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and countless others after them were all captivated with the way string and piano sounds amalgamate. And so is David Foster.

"Piano Concerto in G", the song in the dance vignette, caught my ear in the review show on the Crown Odyssey. After some investigating among the members of the review group to find out who was playing this exquisite music, I discovered that David Foster had recorded a whole CD of his own material with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with the composer at the piano. I found “Symphony Sessions” within a few weeks of hearing this music for the first time.

Some composers do better with shorter forms. David Foster, however, doesn’t just do well with the shorter forms. He is a master of them. None of the tracks on this CD suffer at all from their conciseness. They range from three to seven minutes in length. And yet they sound complete. As a producer of albums for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Chicago, Andrea Bocelli, Kenny Rogers and many others, Mr. Foster practically lives in the world of “four to five minutes”. That’s the amount of time he feels it should take to tell a story.

Mr. Foster's creations have a “soaring” nature to them. The style reminds me of Dave Grusin and his score to “On Golden Pond”. It’s a little John Teshy. It’s a little David Lanzy. It’s even a little Yanniyiyiyiyi. It’s relaxing and it’s thoughtful. And it gives me loads of musical ideas.

Credits: To David Foster, the producer who can walk the walk. The happily married marriage counselor holds more credibility than the music producer who can’t play a note.