Houston Symphony rocks the music of Queen.
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A divide exists between the classical-music community and true rock aficionados, but it is not impossible to surpass.
Berklee College of Music trained arranger and conductor Brent Havens bridged the gap when, five years after founding Windborne Productions in 1990, he was asked to prepare the music of Led Zeppelin for an orchestral performance. Aware of the difference in both sound and fan base, he initially questioned the target audience, but ultimately, what he discovered was a solution that took him on an entirely new adventure.
“I’ll hire a killer singer, use my studio musicians for the band, and then we’ll wrap the orchestra around it,” he said, recalling his proposition.
His vision became a reality, and the media division presented its first classic-rock symphony show, “The Music of Led Zeppelin,” in 1995. It was most recently presented with the Houston Symphony in April.
Havens has produced many other cutting-edge productions with the same concept, collaborating with symphonies around the world and showcasing the tunes of popular classic-rock bands from the ’70s and early ’80s, including Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Michael Jackson, U2, Journey, David Bowie and more.
On Friday and Saturday, “The Music of Queen” will rock Jones Hall in a program by the Houston Symphony, featuring the return of Havens as guest conductor, alongside dynamic vocalist Brody Dolyniuk and the rest of the band — bassist Dan Clemens, drummer Powell Randolph, guitarist George Cintron and keyboardist Justin Avery.
The production, which premiered in 2009, received widespread critical acclaim, just like its predecessors. With rich harmonies and catchy melodies, Queen’s high-energy tracks, including multiple beloved hits such as “We Are the Champions,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Somebody to Love” and “Fat Bottomed Girls,” simply lend themselves to orchestration, Havens explained.
“By 2009, I knew what I was looking for,” he said. “Queen hit my radar, and I just thought it was terrific, and it exploded.”
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ boom
Although the unparalleled success that Freddie Mercury and his bandmates attained never truly faded, the 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” placed them once again at the forefront of pop culture, solidifying their legacy worldwide. Time and again, their songs prove familiar, enduring and universal.
Having created work for a variety of media in the entertainment industry, Havens is no stranger to presenting classical music outside traditional concert halls and vice versa, bringing other forms of music into the classical-concert space. Joining the two together — in this case, the epic music of Queen and the grandeur of a world-class symphony — greatly enhances the overall experience, he said.
“You have a whole new palette of colors that you’re listening to now,” he said. “The orchestra will give you these sounds and colors that you just don’t hear in a regular rock band.”
To be clear, the production is
not a reimagination of the famed British rock band, Havens continued. The songs are played almost precisely the way they are heard on the original recordings. The difference lies in that there is now a full orchestra adding a particular depth and richness to what audience members will instantly recognize, and for this reason, Havens’ approach to the instrumentation is critical to produce an effective and cohesive sound.
“If a guitar player has a solo that’s in a specific range, and I write every single other instrument in that same range, it just becomes a mishmash,” he said, “so the idea is to write around what’s happening.”
Fusing two styles
Sometimes he’ll incorporate a counterpoint, adding a separate melodic line either above or below that of the guitar to be performed by the violas and cellos, for instance. Other times, he’ll ask the orchestra to play the solo with the band, note for note.
Either way, his goal is to make the two ensembles and their respective styles function together seamlessly and equally, Havens said, and that they do. Professional orchestras don’t just play Mozart and Beethoven; the musicians are indeed able to play anything that is put in front of them.
“I’m not doing nearly as much television work, and I miss it a little bit,” Havens said, “but this is so fulfilling as well because the orchestras are really getting a chance to bring new audiences in. That’s really the whole point of this, and they rock on these tunes.”