Music heard roaring from within the walls of Sheldon Concert Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 30 wasn’t just a classic orchestra. David Halen of the St. Louis Orchestra played with six other members to classical composers along with the Beatles cover band Flaming Pie. This interesting twist combined the genre that set the foundation for current music and one of the most influential bands of the past century.
This wasn’t an ordinary fusion concert, though. Juxtaposition is something one might come here looking for, but the musicians deliberately chose songs that showed how the ideas of classical composers transcended time.
The best example of this may be the Beatles’ Blackbird and Bach’s Bouree. Bouree was played on the violin and cello by Halen and Bjorn Ranheim, respectively. The transition between songs kept the cello part and continued it throughout Blackbird to show the deep connection the two pieces had.
Halen and lead singer of Flaming Pie, Paul Puricelli, explained that the Beatles often listened to classical music for inspiration. Melancholy likeness could be heard in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and the Beatles’ Because with parallel piano and keyboard parts.
The strings not only inspired songs but enhanced the ones without them. Songs like Let it Be and Yesterday became more powerful with an orchestral accompaniment. Meaning in Yesterday surged throughout the refrain with a somber spirit.
Other songs like A Day in the Life and Martha My Dear were injected with a new level of playfulness. Not only do the songs become more upbeat with the strings but the chemistry and fun seen on stage makes the songs all the more enjoyable.
The experience was not only entertaining but gave a good insight to the way music can be thought of as incredibly different but bear striking similarities.