FEATURE:
My 21st Century Étude
IN THIS PHOTO: RAYE
The Beautiful Melding of the Contemporary and Classical – and Why We Need to See It More
_________
A couple of recent…
PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels
albums and concerts cast my mind back to all the times that the world of the more commercial and conventional music has combined with Classical. Usually they do not overlap much. Artists might bring strings and some orchestration into their music, though most are quite sparse and liberal with the measurements. They do not want to drench a song in strings, though they understand how much beauty, atmosphere and elegance can be summoned. The sheer power and passion you can get from an orchestra. String especially are arresting and full of different emotions and contours. We can all think back to particular albums that were released as Pop/another genre. They were then backed by an orchestra when they were brought to the stage. Maybe a special concert was held where this work was now backed by an orchestra. It introduces that artist and album to a new audience. It also shows how seamlessly and wonderfully you can bring together all sorts of genres and Classical. A style of music that is centuries-old and still has this vital and clear relevance! Maybe other people have discussed this lately. We have seen quite a few gigs and performances where artists have been backed by an orchestra. It is always described as’ amazing’ and ‘stirring’. Why do we not see more of these concerts?! Why do more artists not re-record or reissue their studio albums with orchestration and this new element?!
I am not sure what provokes certain artists to work with an orchestra. Maybe it gives the music new gravitas and potential. It reaches a new audience. There is an album that came out that was an orchestral reworking of a studio album that I cannot for the life of me remember! It will come to me at some point. I am going to come to a modern-day R&B/Pop artist whose powerful and acclaimed debut studio album was recently performed with an orchestra. Such was the reception and impact; it did get me thinking about the underused and under-discussed perfection of mixing in Classical music alongside a variety of artists and genres. Sheffield legends Def Leppard released Drastic Symphonies on 19th May. They worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on some of their classic songs. So many contemporary and legacy artists have been looking to the world of Classical music to add something fresh and almost restorative to their music. James are a classic band whose music still sounds fresh. Even so, some may feel it belongs in the 1990s. As this article tells, they have brought new life and power to some of their work:
“Manchester favorites James are celebrating their 40th anniversary with an album of 20 re-recorded classics and deeper cuts “re-imagined” with a 22-piece orchestra and an 8-piece choir — and they’re taking the orchestral show on the road this month in the U.K.
Check out the new version of “She’s a Star,” originally off of 1997’s Whiplash, below.
The double album Be Opened By The Wonderful: 40 Years Orchestrated is due out June 9 digitally and on double CD and double vinyl in the U.K. (Pre-order: Amazon.co.uk), though it appears it may only be a digital release in the U.S. (Pre-order: Amazon.com, Apple Music).
The record finds Tim Booth and Co. performing newly arranged versions of such favorites as “Sit Down,” “Say Something” and “Laid.” There are 20 songs in total on the digital and CD releases, but one song — “Hymn from a Village” — is omitted from the 19-track double-vinyl release.
Of the project, Booth says:
“Life begins at 40. For our midlife euphoria we recorded a double orchestral album of some of our deepest cuts”.
There are other artists who are getting into the practice of reviving older hits with orchestral touches. Take Cliff Richard, for example. It is not only legacy artists who are reaping the rewards of adding strings and orchestration to their work. One of our most important modern artists is RAYE. She is someone who performed songs from her Mercury-nominated debut album, My 21st Century Blues, at the Royal Albert Hall, backed by the Heritage Orchestra. This is what The Guardian said about the extraordinary performance:
“‘No string section, no tiny violin,” goes Raye’s Oscar Winning Tears. She glances over her shoulder and behind her, in a divine sense of irony, is the entire Heritage Orchestra. For one night only at the Royal Albert Hall, the dreams of Rachel Keen are reclaimed in glorious Technicolor: a live, recorded performance of her debut album My 21st Century Blues on a scale befitting the vision she has fought for almost a decade to execute. Having been cuffed to Polydor for seven years, who allowed her (now Mercury-nominated) record to stagnate while they doled out her talents for daiquiri-syrup dance hits, tonight’s operatic reimagining is a triumphant statement of independence.
IN THIS PHOTO: RAYE at the Royal Albert Hall/PHOTO CREDIT: Luke Dyson
It makes for an incredible collision of worlds: the orchestra bleeds into Raye’s south London DNA, bringing the inherent drama of her music into sharp relief. Fortified by the thrill of strings and an entire choir, the hypnotic dance track Black Mascara reaches biblical levels of retribution. In an album laced with trauma, this musical heft matches the weight of its emotion. Mary Jane, a stripped-back confessional that grapples with addiction, is now replete with lavish saxophone solos and guitar riffs. Raye makes no attempt to hide her enchantment, waving her arms as if conducting the symphony herself, relishing every twist and turn. Punctuated with costume changes from one timeless gown to another, it feels like the realisation of a childhood fantasy.
“I promised honesty on my album,” she reminds us. As she introduces Body Dysmorphia, in an act of radical vulnerability she takes off her clothes and performs in her underwear; the slow-burning R&B track is now propelled to vertiginous heights of anxiety. She stays undressed for Ice Cream Man as she settles at her piano, a song that reckons with her experience of sexual assault. Her voice quivers as she introduces it, but she retains her incredible spirit (“I’m going to sing it for you, with my belly out and everything”) as she triumphantly underlines: “I’m a very fucking brave, strong woman”.
It makes me wonder whether RAYE will reissue the album with orchestrated songs. Reworkings. I know bygone legends like Amy Winehouse have done similar to things as RAYE when it comes to performing alongside an orchestra. RAYE has performed with an orchestra before. Whether for Radio 2’s Piano Room or with Pete Tong and The Heritage Orchestra in 2017, there is a big argument as to why more artists need to collaborate with orchestra. We do hear orchestration on albums - through most people do not isolate those parts and think about the melding of these players and that artist. Having a striking concert like RAYE’s recent turn in London must have been shivers-inducing! Who would have thought that an artist whose recent debut sounds very contemporary, soulful and personal could earn these new layers and emotions with the backing of a magnificent orchestra?! There have been occasions when artists have combined with orchestras. We do not really see it too much, mind. Many who might not be RAYE fans or know about her music are then introduced to her in a setting she would not normally perform in. There is this cross-pollination that is really interesting! There are modern artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift who I could see performing special concerts with an orchestra. Maybe a Rock band like Foo Fighters backed by beautiful strings and brass. These are tantalising prospects! I was caught my RAYE’s concert last month and how her excellent music was taken to different and new heights. Perhaps quite disparate on paper, her stunning music (and vocals) and the talents of the Heritage Orchestra were a…
TRULY heavenly match!