Ostin Allegro's
Pop meets the
Classics
Odds and Ends - Classics Based on Pop & Ostin Recommends
Classics based on Pop
There have been many attempts to orchestrate pop music and give it a wider audience. I must admit that, in most cases, I have not really liked what I've heard. I mention below a few of those I do like, and one from much longer back (1920s) which "sort of" fits into this category.
Beatles go Baroque
The Queen Symphony
Tahiti Trot / Tea for Two
The Doors Concerto
Ostin Recommends - some CDs you might enjoy
Beatles Go Baroque
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Beatles Concerto Grosso No 1 (in the style of Handel) 2 Lady Madonna 3 Fool on the Hill 4 Honey Pie 5 Penny Lane Beatles Concerto Grosso No 2 (in the style of Vivaldi) 6 A Hard Day's Night 7 Girl 10 Help
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Beatles Concerto Grosso No 3 (in the style of Bach) 11 The Long and Winding Road 12 Eight Days a Week 13 She's Leaving Home 14 We Can Work it Out 15 Hey Jude 16 Yellow Submarine Beatles Concerto Grosso No 4 17 Here comes the Sun 18 Michelle 19 Goodnight 20 Carry That Weight |
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I quite liked this on first hearing. It was track 8, And I Love Her, in the style of Vivaldi. More to the point, it sounded remarkably like part of Spring from The Four Seasons. This album has been cleverly orchestrated and there are some very good "spoofs". It's interesting to try to recognise the classical piece that is being imitated. Through it all you still get to hear some of the Beatles' finest melodies, and can't help but smile at the slightly tongue-in-cheek way it's all been done. Click the links to hear a short sample of tracks 1, 8, 9 and 15. |
Naxos 8.990050 Peter Breiner and his Chamber Orchestra
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The Queen Symphony
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This recording is not just another orchestral arrangement of Queen songs, but rather a symphony written using themes and ideas from some of Queen's music. The whole consists of six movements, each containing themes from such songs as Radio Gaga, The Show Must Go On, Killer Queen, Another One Bites The Dust, Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You, Save Me and Who Wants To Live Forever. The composer himself states that he has wished to reinvent the music rather than merely orchestrate it. He does not use whole songs, or even whole lines of melody. The result is surprisingly coherent and satisfying. To my ears the 5th movement is the most enjoyable, using material from four of the songs above. |
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| Buy this CD at
Crotchet Classical Music Webstore
(This link opens a pop-up window at the Crotchet website where you will be able to buy on-line if you wish) |
EMI 724355739520 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Tolga Kashif |
Tahiti Trot - Tea for Two
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Tea for Two was an immensely popular song written in 1924/5 by Vincent Youmans with lyricist Irving Caesar, for the score for No, No, Nanette, one of the decade's most successful musicals. The show contained several other hits including Too Many Rings Around Rosie, You Can Dance With Any Girl At All, and I Want To Be Happy. The show was filmed, with modifications to its score, in 1930, 1940, and in 1950 as Tea For Two, starring Doris Day and Gordon MacRae. In 1928 the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich orchestrated this popular tune in 40 minutes as the result of a bet. (That he couldn't do it in less than 1 hour). The result is charming and witty. And, on the basis that "if you like that you'll like this", you might want to listen to this coupled with some of Shostakovich's lighter music. All good fun. The Jazz Suite label is rather misleading as the music is not jazz at all! |
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Tracks on this CD Jazz Suites No. 1 and 2, Tahiti Trot (Tea for Two), Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor Buy this CD at Crotchet Classical Music Webstore (This link opens a pop-up window at the Crotchet website where you will be able to buy on-line if you wish) |
Decca 433702-2 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Riccardo Chailly |
The Doors Concerto
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Tracks 2 The Unknown Soldier 4 Love Street 5 Hello, I Love You 7 People are Strange 8 Strange Days 9 The End |
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A reasonable attempt at interpreting some of the songs performed by The Doors. Kennedy plays violin and the arrangements are by Jaz Coleman. I think the quality is uneven on this CD but there are some good moments. The first track is probably the best with track 3 almost as good. Worth a listen. Click on links above to hear short samples of tracks 1,3 and 6 Buy this CD at Crotchet Classical Music Webstore (This link opens a pop-up window at the Crotchet website where you will be able to buy on-line if you wish) |
Decca 467350-2 Nigel Kennedy - Violin Prague Symphony Orchestra |
