I go to a classical music concert
I am not going to write about the Grammys this week – that will be for next week after I see the winners. This week, it is about classical music.
What? Classical music?
People who have followed this column for all or part of its 15-year life know that I am a rock guy who ventures into rap, metal, blues, country, mariachi, Latin, Mexican regional, and even shoegaze and electronica. But classical – nope, never. You can’t dance to it unless you are a ballet dancer, and nobody ever accused me of being graceful on my toes.
But I went to a symphony concert Saturday afternoon and had a good time.
Why did I spend Saturday afternoon listening to music by “dead, white European” composers? Well, I have become friends with Michael Reason, the founder, music director, and conductor of the Lake Chapala Orchestra (LCO), and since he reads my writing, I felt I should go hear his music. The free tickets he gave me also helped.
Fortified with a strong cup of coffee, my wife and I settled into our seats at the Robert Kleffel Auditorium, with about 300 classical fans for something called Symphonic Passion, music written by Sibelius and Brahms, who I had kinda’ of heard of. There was also a 23-year old soloist, Brenda Galvan, on the bill, whom I had not heard of but was interested in seeing since I am dedicated to rising young music stars.
I enjoyed it. It was a different kind f enjoyment than I get from a rock concert, or mariachi, or pop, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I really enjoyed Galvan’s violin playing. She performed almost non-stop for 45 minutes, playing what I am told is one of the most complex pieces in classical music from memory – no notes, no score sheets – just her mind and her fingers moving so fast it looked like she was shredding the violin. She and Lindsy Stirling would make a great duo, I thought while I watched her.
That got me thinking – how do rock and classical get along? Really well, it turns out. Metal fans will recall Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony on their live album S&M (1999), featuring symphonic versions of hits like “Nothing Else Matters.” Deep Purple recorded the Concerto for Group and Orchestra with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a pioneering 45-minute prog-rock epic. And of course there is the Moody Blues with the London Festival Orchestra on the classic Days of Future Passed (1967), including “Nights in White Satin”. The Scorpions recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic on Moment of Glory (2000). And Kiss recorded with the Melbourne Symphony on Symphony: Alive IV (2003).
Latin/symphony combos also stand out, including Rodrigo y Gabriela with LA Phil (Hecho en México) – the Mexican guitar duo in a rock-derived performance playing with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. The Los Ángeles Azules band played with YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) in cumbia sonidera arrangements with orchestra, mixing synths, brass, and full symphonic backing.
Mariachis and symphony orchestras also mix very well. Examples include El Mariachi Alegre playing with the Diablo Symphony Orchestra in California in a full concert, “El Mariachi Meets the Symphony”. The ASU Symphony Orchestra rocked with Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar and ASU’s own mariachi ensemble for Mexican Independence Day. The concert, Juan Gabriel: A Philharmonic Tribute by the San Antonio Philharmonic was filled with orchestral arrangements of Juan Gabriel hits with guest vocalists and mariachis.
Recent collabs include Reggaetón star Yandel’s “SINFÓNICO (En Vivo)”, a live, double‑LP and digital album recorded with the Florida International University Symphony Orchestra and Choir. Swedish metal band Therion cut a live album with Mexico’s National Symphony, and salsa, mambo, and Latin pop bands like the Mambo Kings have recorded with American symphonies as part of their core output.
There is also another connection. Many metal and rock stars began with classical training. The Metal Queen, Milita Vox, trained in classical piano but has traded the black and white keys for a flaming microphone and a heavy metal band. Love songstress Irene Diaz studied classical piano for almost two decades, gaining symphony‑level chops, and she now weaves her piano skills into many of her pop songs. Hollywood voice coaches have long trained both opera singers and metal singers, especially those who sing in the “devil voice”, which uses opera training to protect the singer’s throat. Even some of the musicians in the Lake Chapala Symphony cross genre lines, playing in local bands.
After listening to the orchestra and getting to know Michael Reason, I am very impressed with what classical music requires. Think how hard it is to assemble a great 4,5, or 6-piece rock or country band, and then multiply it by 10 (there are 60 musicians in the LCO). Any rock or metal, or jazz band leader reading this will get a headache thinking about the spreadsheet needed just to set up rehearsals. Plus, if you think rock bands have drama, just think of 60 high-level musicians from two cultures, at least four countries, speaking two languages, who must all get along and harmonize in very complicated compositions.
I am not going to recommend that you put on a satin gown or a silk tux and join the limousine crowd at the local symphony hall (although it might be fun). But keep your eyes open for collaborations, “pops” symphony concerts with rock and pop bands, and new rock operas. And keep in mind what Reason said to me over margaritas one night when we were talking about the difference between the songs I stream and the pieces he conducts: “It’s all music.”
Banner photo: Michael conducting the Lake Chapala Orchestra. Photo credit: Richard Spahr
Patrick O’Heffernan
