When rock meets classical music On a rainy September morning Robert came to the agent to check the number of concerts his rock group had during the month. When he came into the room, the agent was talking to a man whose elegant style and manners gave away that he was a classical musician. The agent introduced the stranger as Kevin, an opera singer. “We are colleagues,” Robert said. “I’m a classically trained pianist myself, but I chose to play in a rock band.”
From Kevin’s look Robert understood his words were a surprise to the opera singer. Kevin didn’t seem to believe Robert. That’s why Robert continued, “I know most people think rock musicians never do any classical stuff. But you can come to my concert tonight and see for yourself”, added Robert and handed Kevin his card. Kevin seemed intrigued and accepted the card.
At 9.00 the rock club was full as usual. From his central position on the stage, Robert could clearly see the crowd waving enthusiastically and cheering each song with their hands up. There were many of his friends and colleagues and there was Kevin, rocking with the crowd. He was enjoying the rock concert but didn’t seem to take it seriously.
During the break Robert came up to Kevin. “Are you still sceptical or have you changed your opinion about rock music?” he asked. “It’s been a good concert, you know, but this rock music is not my kind of thing”, said Kevin, “It’s not for professionals.” Feeling hurt, Robert decided to show the stereotype was not true.
He named many world famous rock stars like Elton John or Freddie Mercury who began as classical pianists. Bon Jovi also took lessons from professional singers. Kevin smiled but still stood his ground. He did not believe that classical and rock music could be ranked equally. In spite of the famous names Robert had mentioned, Kevin did not accept his point of view.
Suddenly Robert jumped on the stage and picked up his guitar. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to change today’s programme. A few classical pieces will be presented to you. We’ve never done it in our rock club but today is a special occasion. We have an opera singer with us tonight, and I’m going to show him that Bach’s and Beethoven’s music can be as modern as Queen and Michael Jackson”.
He started playing the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ by Beethoven very softly as it had to be played in the classical style but made the second part sound more like the blues. The crowd kept swaying silently. In the next famous classical piece, ‘The Flight of the Bumble-Bee’, his rock band joined in and they finished triumphantly with the crowd cheering. Kevin looked impressed.
“That was moving. Sorry, I’ve been a snob”, said Kevin. Robert realized he had won and smiled. “Why don’t we arrange a project together to mix rock with classical music?” he suggested. “Good idea!” exclaimed Kevin. They agreed to have an official meeting before the next concert in the club. When Kevin left, Robert was sitting on the stage playing Mozart. |