STRIKE UP THE BAND:

Artsechro showcases SLC strings

by Shakira Croce

Wednesday October 12, 2005

Music is an evolutionary process, with new styles emerging to reflect the cultural movements of the time. The creators of the Red Bull Artsehcro hope to launch a movement that will bring turntables into the mix of popular music. To them, the recent concert at Carnegie Hall and the world premier of "Concerto for Turntable," conceived by DJ Radar and composed by Raul Yanez, was a great success.

With an orchestra of 60 all-star college musicians from around the world, including SLC’s extremely gifted violist, sophomore Holly Fulton and double bassist junior Will McEvoy, the concert was bound to be sensational.

For both Fulton and McEvoy, the exhausting practices proved well worth the time and commitment. With just three rehearsals before the Carnegie Hall premiere, the conductor, Constantine Kitsopoulos, and the students were involved in what McEvoy described as an "intense" musical experience, which proved to be "fun but a lot of work."

The opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall, with its one-of-a-kind atmosphere and acoustics was certainly a momentous occasion. Fulton reflected that the experience "was better than you could imagine."

Red Bull energy drink sponsored the Artsehcro (that’s "orchestra" spelled backwards) in order to "legitimize the turntable as an instrument and push the boundaries of classical music," said Carol Sloan of Red Bull’s Communications Center.

In an interview for The Phoenix, musician Raul Yanez, who composed the "Concerto," and whose pieces have premiered in Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, Japan, Thailand, Mexico and the U.S., stated that the piece could be called "Concerto for DJ Radar," because it put Radar’s individual syncopations and complex rhythmic ideas into play. The process of transcribing the piece was "like writing a conversation for two different languages" between turntable and orchestra, and at times an incredibly natural blend of both mediums was created.

Yanez referred to the influence of jazz on his composition as an intricate development of its "freedom of expression." There was a definite layered-effect in adding new beats and melodies building upon one another within the three ten-minute movements of the "Concerto." The orchestra echoed the various musical statements, which were introduced by the DJ, and the climatic ending brought the crowd to its feet in a standing ovation.

Carnegie Hall’s nearly full house was composed of an extremely diverse audience from street-rockers to chic-models, but this medley of individuals united under their love of modern classical music. During the performance, one could observe the audience’s rhythmic head-bopping and periodic foot tapping.

Among the spectators were a group of SLC students. Reactions were somewhat mixed, but positive overall. While first-year Naomi Kaye thought both mediums "worked together…fluidly," sophomore Drew Snyder, who is a musician, had a different opinion, stating: "the idea was new, and you could tell. The project…lacked cohesiveness." However, both students expressed an interest in—as Kaye said— "hearing more" of this new style. Snyder added that he hopes "the idea will expand."

For more information on the Artsechro, visit their website at www.redbullartsehcro.com and witness this innovative new style of music, which will resonate within Carnegie Hall and transpose into mainstream music in years to come.