By John K. Toedtman
Enquirer contributor

The Cincinnati Pops concert Saturday night at Riverbend was in reality two separate programs.

The first half contained a diverse group of beautiful melodies richly enhanced by the artistry of Cincinnati pianist Michael Chertock.

In the second half, Erich Kunzel and orchestra were overpowered by the rock band Three Dog Night.

The Pops began the evening with a medley of Irving Berlin tunes such as "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Alexander's Ragtime Band" - complete with bells and whistles and squealing clarinets - and the ubiquitous "God Bless America" that Kate Smith made famous.

The Warsaw Concerto, a one-movement work for piano and orchestra by Richard Addinsell, was composed for the British World War II movie Suicide Squadron. The piece is a lush, romantic work with hauntingly beautiful melodies reminiscent of the 1940s, when honor, duty, and loyalty to country were at stake in the War.

Chertock played with great feeling and no apparent technical problems. There are some fiendishly difficult two-handed arpeggios in the piece that flowed like water.

"Ice Castles," by Marvin Hamlisch, was written for a movie about a young woman who lost her sight yet still aspired to be a figure skater. Chertock supplied a beautiful piano embellishment to the orchestra for this number.

Next on the program came a medley of fragments of the famous Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 2 in C minor by Rachmaninoff. It is sad not to hear this glorious piece in its entirety, but the magnificent melodies are a testimony to Rachmaninoff's genius and enduring popularity. Scorned by some critics during his lifetime as a composer of "movie music," Rachmaninoff has emerged as the most beloved composer of the 20th century.

Chertock displayed a keen sense of the grandeur of the Concerto; the flashy finale came off without a hitch. As an encore, pianist and orchestra collaborated for a spirited version of Scott Joplin's "Entertainer," punctuated by jazzy brass and percussion work.

The first half of the concert closed with the Americana medley by Erich Knight. A tapestry of American tunes such as "Home on the Range," "Camptown Races," "Yankee Doodle" and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," was woven together skillfully by Maestro Kunzel, who displayed his typical musicianship, artistry, and control.

After an intermission, the hard driving, forceful '70s rock group, Three Dog Night, set up shop on the stage. Formed in 1968, the group hit gold with its recording of "Joy to the World" in 1971.

Somehow, the music of Three Dog Night never seemed as loud on the radio as it did live at Riverbend Saturday night. When the group cranked up the sound for its first number, the Pops simply could not be heard at all. Perhaps a symphonic Pops concert is just not compatible with the decibels created by Three Dog Night.

If the goal is to lure more people to classical concerts, the results Saturday night were not favorable, as almost a third of the audience left at intermission. The kind of person who is drawn to classical music, it seems, is not necessarily a Three Dog Night fan.