Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/27/2005
Run Time: 58:46
If you think
the Who had the last word in
rock opera and that
Queen was the end all in operatic
pop,
the East Village Opera Company -- a powerhouse five-piece band with a string quartet and two compelling vocalists -- will have you rethinking those precepts. The success of foreign-language-driven
pop by
Josh Groban and
il Divo no doubt made it possible for this unique outfit to adapt some of these
opera classics into a 21st century context. The
Mozart-composed overture (from
"Le Nozze di Figaro") has some of those
Who-like synthesizer speckles over an insistent drumbeat before a blistering
rock assault begins, which is sort of like paying homage to one of the great sources of the concept. Though the first-time listener who is not an
opera fan may not know all the original titles (whose composers include
Puccini,
Verdi, and
Bizet), it's a great introduction to the art form because each track is performed at full length and in the original languages. The best of these are the synth-
metal jam
"La Donna e Mobile" from
Rigoletto, a soulful and symphonic sweep through
"Habanera" from
Carmen (which should ring a bell), and
"Nessun Dorma" from
Turandot.
The East Village Opera Company was co-founded by lead singer
Tyley Ross and arranger/multi-instrumentalist
Peter Kiesewalter. They assembled a full-on
rock band, adding two guitars, bass, and drums to
Kiesewalter's keyboards, then synched it to a string quartet. A second vocalist,
Ann Marie Milazzo, was recruited for explosive duets with
Ross and various soaring solos. The project was produced by three-time Grammy winner
Neil Dorfsman, with string arrangements recorded in Prague by
the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.
~Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
;)
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