Rock Goes Opera

Introduction

This is a sort of follow-up to my piece on artists who took classical music and tried to hammer it in ways that the original composer never intended. You can read that here before you go on to explore this piece of mine.

Very often people who prefer mainstream music say they don't like classical music, and vice versa, but there is a lot of crossover with the mainstream taking classical pieces and adapting them to their own style.

In this story, I wanted to include pieces by artists who attempted classical pieces on the music's terms rather than the artist's terms. I will finish this off with the very first piece that I heard that fits the bill.

Jeff Buckley - "Dido's Lament"

PLAYING WITH JEFF BUCKLEY by Philip Sheppard

"I’ve just found something on youtube that I’ve been searching for for years – literally…

Jeff Buckley singing, with pianist Catherine Edwards, violinist Ian Bolton and me on cello, in Elvis Costello’s Meltdown Festival, July 1st 1995.

Listen to this. I mean, no-one can sing like that. No-one should be physically able to sing like that.

I remember, this singer arrived really late, just before the show, disheveled, all cheekbones, cool hair, black jeans and the biggest boots you’ve ever seen supporting a rake thin body.

He apologised – got out his music – a kid’s exercise book with the lyrics of the songs written out in a crazy biro scrawl. – If a word was written high up the page, well then it meant it was a high note.

At one point he asked me what country he was in… he was confused between Germany and the UK that day as I think he’d flown in with little sleep.

And then he sang".

(As Elvis Costello remembers: "When he started singing Dido’s Lament at the rehearsal, there were all these classical musicians who could not believe it. Here’s a guy shuffling up on-stage and singing a piece of music normally thought to be the property of certain types of specifically developed voice, and he’s just singing, not doing it like a party piece, but doing something with it").

That’s an understatement… I remember the lights being pretty bright and the silhouette of his frame as he bent almost double to wrench every ounce of meaning from a song written 300 hundred years ago. Better than any classical musician I’ve ever heard.

I can’t remember anything straight after that, but Elvis Costello wrote in Mojo: "My last memory of him was at the little party in the green room afterwards. There were all these people sitting round Jeff who’d never met before – Fretwork, the viol group, a classical pianist and some jazz player – all talking and laughing about music. He’d charmed everybody. I’d much rather remember that than anything".

I’ve been so lucky to have been able to play the cello with some of the most amazing musicians, but by far the greatest was Jeff Buckley. Of course he’s shot up the charts recently through his beautiful cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah – surely the antithesis of X-Factor..?

This is Henry Purcell’s Dido’s Lament from Dido and Aeneas. But listen to this – Just. listen. to. it…

I could not edit this, it is taken from the YouTube video and is a commentary on this incredible performance by Jeff Buckley.

Beyoncé - Ave Maria

Beyoncé's take on Schubert's "Ave Maria" is a stunning live setting. What can I say, just watch, listen and be impressed by this amazing performance.

Richard Thompson with Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin - "There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of The Blast" from "1000 Years Of Popular Music"

This album was originally conceived after Richard Thompson, along with many other artists, was asked by Playboy magazine to nominate his choice of the best songs of the millennium in anticipation of the year 2000. The magazine intended the use of the term "millennium" to be hyperbole that emphasized the end of the 2nd millennium or songs within the collective memory of their readership at that time, probably expecting nothing earlier than the British Invasion at best. In an act of malicious compliance, Thompson followed these instructions exactly as they were worded, and produced a list which did span 1000 years of music, including the oldest-known English-language songs, a medieval Italian dance tune, and various other folk songs, alongside slightly more contemporary fare. The list was never published by Playboy; it was subsequently released in CD format. The songs comprising the tracklist cover a roughly thousand-year period, 1068–2001, starting with "Sumer Is Icumen In". The most recent song included on the album is Britney Spears' hit "Oops!... I Did It Again".

I thought it was easier to share the Wikipedia post, as I intended to say what it says. Richard Thompson is one of my favourite artists and this piece from Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado" is both funny and impressive.

I have included the full live concert, which I saw at The Sage in Newcastle, but it initially starts at this song 44 minutes in, but you can obviously play it from the beginning if you so wish.

Todd Rundgren - "Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song"

When I bought the album "Todd" I knew to expect the unexpected but I didn't expect this. It is funny and clever and has an impressive vocal performance complete with lots of sound effects.

It originally comes from 1882's IOLANTHE, by Gilbert and Sullivan, who were masters of comic opera.

Rundgren proves his prowess by including this in live performances such as this.

Conclusion

I know there are only four pieces here but every one is essential listening. I hope you take the time to check them out and enjoy them.

Thank you for being here.