Wednesday, November 07, 2007

East Village Opera Company is brilliant post modern opera, says Princess Haiku


I recently saw the East Village Opera Company mentioned in one of the new blogs I am reading and had a listen at You Tube. Their music is extraordinary and brilliant; I hope that they will eventually perform in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am posting a few videos of EVOC and you have never heard anything like this.

This is what I read on East Village Opera Company's Website.

"You’ve heard opera, and you’ve heard rock—but you’ve never heard opera rocked like the East Village Opera Company. The East Village Opera Company —a powerhouse five-piece band, a string quartet, and two outstanding vocalists—brings the towering emotion and timeless musicality of opera into the 21st century on its Decca/Universal Classics debut with its inventive, hard-hitting arrangements of the music’s “greatest hits”—including “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto, “Habanera” from Carmen, and “Nessun dorma” from Turandot — performed at full length and in the original languages.

The concept of the East Village Opera Company is totally fresh, but not unprecedented in pop. In 1985, for example, former punk-rock impresario Malcolm McLaren released Fans, an album of “hip-hopera” that brought funky beats and electronic programming to the works of Puccini and Bizet. But EVOC is a whole new thing: an integrated, eleven-strong working band dedicated to rocking the opera and electrifying the classics, as the ensemble has been doing to spectacular effect ever since its New York stage debut in the spring of 2004.
...

EVOC’s Decca/Universal Classics debut was produced and recorded in April-July, 2005 by Neil Dorfsman, a three-time Grammy Award winner whose credits include international bestsellers by Sting, Dire Straits, Paul McCartney, and Bjork. The string arrangements were recorded in Prague by the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra featuring lead violinist Pauline Kim.


I am going to try to purchase one of their CD's locally and if I can't find one everyone can order one from their online store. They also sell black EVOC hoodys that are too cool.

And now if you will excuse me, said Princess Haiku putting her invisible headphones on, It's almost midnight and I am going to rock out with EVOC.







5 comments:

Acquaintance said...

Absolutely gorgeous voice she has and I love her expressions of her body while singing. I watched the news videos about them but didn't understand a word since I don't speak spanish yet but it was still a good video to watch though. When the reporter talked to the band those were the only parts I understood. Oh and it was cool watching East Village Opera Company compose the music in their studio they where in, that was awesome.

I didn't even know this band existed, I like them. :D

Diane Dehler said...

I do too mavin; they are very cool and extremely talented.

jon said...

I had my doubts.. and I'm a purist. And I the overture was pretty much what I expected but HOLY MOLY To O Mio Bambino Caro!! wooHOO! Beautifully done, turned on its head from a lilting soprano to a sexy, smoky toned contralto. It was provocative and titillating!! :D

Diane Dehler said...

I love the way you talk, jon. It's just so...so.....

StayAtHomeKat said...

Happy you discovered and are enjoying EVOC!

Happy Holidays to you!