December 29, 2024, 7 pm

LVSO Concert Hall

 

LVSO | "THE QUEEN SYMPHONY"

 

T. Kashif. "The Queen Symphony"

 

On New Year's Eve, the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius present "The Queen Symphony", a unique and theatrical work by the Turkish-born British composer Tolga Kashif (born in 1962), which combines the work of legendary band Queen and symphonic music. "I wanted to reveal the primal essence of this great music. I wanted to create something more than a simple orchestration, and I discovered that an integral part of Queen's music is the language of the modern classical genre," says Kashif. According to Queen's legendary guitarist Brian May, The Queen Symphony is the work of a man with a new approach and a unique way of thinking. "I'm sure that this piece, like other things related to Queen, can also cause a negative reaction. It breaks most of the rules of the symphonic form. But I'm also convinced that this symphony will become a perennial favourite in the orchestral repertoire, as it will always draw full concert halls," says May.

 

The members of the group were not involved in the creation of Kashif's symphony, leaving the composer with complete freedom of creation. Although the symphony uses the band's most famous songs as its musical fabric, some of them will be hard to recognise, even for Queen's biggest fans. "Anyone expecting to hear Queen songs simply arranged will be shocked to say the least," said Queen guitarist B. May.

 

T. Kashif stresses that Queen's music is a valuable fabric for an academic composer - Queen was part of a radical new wave that challenged all popular music. It embodied the original artistic expression that we hear in the band's meticulously executed recordings and concerts. Today, The Queen Symphony is performed all over the world and remains one of the most popular recordings in the classical music charts of Europe, the USA and Asia. "Queen's theatricality and sensuality permeate the symphony's sound - we seem to be backstage at Freddy Mercury's pompous theatre.