Stevie & the MSO (article)

[SpyNote]

Maybe one of the reasons why the DVD was cancelled...

Orchestrating popularity
The Age (AU)
September 21, 2006

Ben Folds is the latest pop partner in the MSO's pitch for wider audiences, writes Andrew Murfett.

Rockstars and classical musicians are seemingly unusual bedfellows. Yet they are increasingly finding that partnering the two genres makes creative and financial sense.

This weekend, the American pop singer-songwriter Ben Folds will perform three shows at Hamer Hall. Nothing unusual about that - Folds has been a regular visitor to Melbourne - first as part of the alternative-rock trio Ben Folds Five, then as a solo artist.

However, as he prepared to release his second solo album (Songs For Silverman) last year, he was invited to play with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Perth. The show was an outstanding success.

Folds says the concert caught the eye of a contingent of Australian orchestras from around the country. An approach from the orchestras to co-ordinate a national tour with Guy Noble as conductor promptly followed.

"The orchestras pushed this concept," Folds says. "Their open-mindedness and creativity is really cool."

For its part, the Melbourne Symphony was a pioneering force among Australian orchestras when it came to embracing pop music. Twenty years ago, the MSO recorded a live double album with Elton John, which was released worldwide and achieved critical recognition for the group. The MSO's managing director, Trevor Green, says the Elton John release in 1986 provided terrific exposure.

"It went all around the world and was just great for us," he says. "It presented the artist in a different format, added quality, and attracted a wider audience."

Many point to seminal heavy-metal act Metallica's celebrated performance in 1999 with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra on the album/concert film S&M as the tipping point for bands to begin teaming with orchestras.

The MSO has since collaborated with a formidable list of rock and pop acts. Green points to two: 2003's KISS Symphony concert and a 2004 show with Meat Loaf at Rod Laver Arena as immensely successful ventures.

"The Meat Loaf DVD was a big seller for us in New York," Green says. "It's unlikely we'll play in New York, but that exposure is huge. And when we did Kiss, I got emails from all around the world."

With subscription bases either stagnant or in decline, pop music offers orchestras another revenue stream and a fresh set of ears. Green says that orchestras are learning that they have to adapt to a changing world or they simply will not survive. "We're using taxpayers' money, and we need to be relevant to the community," he notes.

That's not to say it's all smooth sailing. An MSO concert with Stevie Nicks earlier this year demonstrated that when the orchestra is not used properly, their value can be diminished.

"With that gig, the arrangements were not so good for us," Green acknowledges.

Also, several of the MSO's diehard subscribers have been outraged that the orchestra's resources would be used in this manner. "Some of the old timers definitely don't like seeing their orchestra working with a rock musician," Green says. "We can see things are changing. We could become a dinosaur if we're not careful."

The conductor of the Ben Folds shows, Guy Noble, also worked with pop crooner Harry Connick jnr on a similar tour, and says there are specific challenges in preparing the orchestra.

"When you do turn up to conduct Beethoven, you can assume the orchestra knows the piece and has played it 20 times," Noble says. "We don't have that luxury with Ben Folds. You're educating everyone. The players are open to this, but a few might come in grumpy about doing this sort of thing. But once they hear the roar of the audience and see Ben absolutely manipulate the audience, they appreciate the musician he is."

Folds says that although his songs are made to sound simple - that is the nature of pop music - they are not really that simple most of the time.

"A lot of the time I'm hearing things in my head when I write a song that are a lot more orchestrated," he says. "With a few exceptions, my stuff has proved to be fairly compatible with an orchestra."

The orchestra had two preliminary rehearsals with Folds this week before this morning's final dress rehearsal, with full lighting and sound engineers.

Both Folds and Noble point to tracks such as Army, Zac and Sara and Not The Same as working "exceptionally well".

Noble also notes that there is an element of humility in it for Folds in the sheer musical ability that's on stage with him.

"He appreciates what they're doing is rather complex and also the fact that all this energy from 90 people who normally play Brahms, Wagner and Tchaikovsky is being thrown at his music, would be a humbling thing for anybody," he says.

"On the other hand, it's also humbling for the orchestra. We start playing before Ben comes on stage and to see the amount of enthusiasm and recognition from the audience is just amazing. At that point, the orchestra will think 'we're working with somebody who has a real following here'. It works both ways."

According to Noble, the post-show backstage area has remained a subdued affair so far through the tour.

"Ben's not a huge party animal; he'll have a vegetarian pizza and a glass of Guinness and I'll have a glass of wine," he says. "The orchestra will then come in and have a great time. They enjoy having a drink with him."

Every Australian tour for Folds has held increased importance since he assumed the status of de facto Australian when he married his Adelaide-born partner, Frally Hynes, in 1999. He lived briefly in Adelaide, but is based in Nashville with his family. "The New York Times recently rated Nashville the number one new place to live in America," he says proudly. "I see Keith and Nicole at the grocery store occasionally," he adds, grinning.

Judging by the tour's box office, this weekend's shows will be a success. "We've got a whole new set of people who normally wouldn't set foot in the Concert Hall," Noble says. "At the very least they are getting an understanding that the orchestra is there, and what it does."

Ben Folds and the MSO perform tonight, Saturday and Sunday.

[danax6]

Yes, I think that explains why it's not going to be released. We said it ourselves, you could barely hear the orchestra once the band started up. It's a shame really.

[deribish]

I have the DVD with Ben and the MSO... and it's amazing to listen to. Unique wonderful arrangements... I was so hoping Stevie's concert would capture a similar feeling, but alas it seems not everyone agreed that it did.

One of the many cool things Ben did with his shows was he let local Austrailian composers write the arrangements for the orchestra. So you got a very unexpected approach to some of the songs. The arrangements for Stevie's songs, felt very ... expected -- almost just echos of what the band was already playing. Such a shame, especially since she was in such fine spirits and voice.

maybe she'll try it again in a few years with better arrangements.

[MacMan]

Originally Posted by danax6

Yes, I think that explains why it's not going to be released. We said it ourselves, you could barely hear the orchestra once the band started up. It's a shame really.

Yes it is a shame... There's not that many opportunities like this.

I think the problem was some of the MSO instruments should have taken the place of the electric instruments normally used. That's where we should have heard the orchestra. But either that arranger guy she brought from LA screwed up, or Stevie was reluctant to deviate from the normal sound and instruments used - and just wanted to try and incorporate the orchestra in with everything else. But as you can hear, that didn't work. Too bad.

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by MacMan

Yes it is a shame... There's not that many opportunities like this.

I think the problem was some of the MSO instruments should have taken the place of the electric instruments normally used. That's where we should have heard the orchestra. But either that arranger guy she brought from LA screwed up, or Stevie was reluctant to deviate from the normal sound and instruments used - and just wanted to try and incorporate the orchestra in with everything else. But as you can hear, that didn't work. Too bad.

Beauty and the Beast should have been their moment since it was originally recorded with an orchestra. Oh well.

[Phoenix]

I thought that it was Waddy who was the "music director"

[Johnny Stew]

I still don't understand why the MSO's contributions to the songs couldn't be played up when the DVD was mixed.

[Kelly]

He is but she had to hire someone to arrange her songs for the Orchestra show. They worked on the arrangments in LA last January before she left for Oz. I have a feeling Stevie was probably leary of deviating too much from her set comfort zone. It is very sad because BATB should have been much more powerful that is sounds on the dvd. I can barely hear the orchestra..

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I still don't understand why the MSO's contributions to the songs couldn't be played up when the DVD was mixed.

oh, good point. I guess we'll never know why the DVD was shelved.

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I still don't understand why the MSO's contributions to the songs couldn't be played up when the DVD was mixed.

I could see that happening. You can hear them pretty well on Landslide and Stop Draggin' My Heart Around.

[danax6]

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

oh, good point. I guess we'll never know why the DVD was shelved.

Well, I think it's like someone else said above...the orchestra didn't make it sound unique, it just emphasized something that was basically already there, almost as an afterthought. The only things that really stood out were the intros to songs like Gold Dust Woman and Rhiannon. I am sure that even if they would mix up the orchestra, it still wouldn't be discernable from the rest of the regular band. At least not enough to make it sound special, which was kind of the intent.