January 13th, 2008Rockers, DSO gild 'Stairway' in 'The Music of Led Zeppelin'
Rock-classical fusions rarely float, but the Dallas Symphony Orchestra meshed well with Zebra singer Randy Jackson and his taut four-piece band on epics like “The Rain Song” and “Kashmir.” The orchestra charged with gusto through “The Song Remains the Same,” but the best surprise was “Since I’ve Been Loving You”: Newly added violins made the song weep like B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone.”
With Mr. Jackson’s band playing at 110 decibels, the DSO couldn’t be heard half the time. Other times, it was totally unneeded. If any song in the history of music doesn’t require flutes, it’s “Black Dog.”
A good blend of hits (”Stairway” was the encore) and lesser-known tunes (”Four Sticks,” “Dancing Days”) won over a capacity crowd made up of graybeards and young-’uns who weren’t even alive when Zeppelin broke up.
Thor Christensen
