Hayley on 'ClassicalX'

[nicola]

Hi all,

There is a new crossover site which is growing extremely fast.

There are 8 featured artists so far and Hayley is one of them! They add more artists when you suggest them.

It's a good idea and you contribute the news, Hayley also has her own sub forum. I think this is important since this site is going to be huge and its great exposure for Hayley. The site brings together fans for other classical artists where they all have access to Hayley. It's a genius idea.

You can join to contribute to Hayleys growing feature here: www.classicalx.com

[Andrew]

Hey Nicola,

Thanks for that Website info... I'll be going to have a look at that one...

Nicola, in your opinion, who was the 'first classical-crossover' artist? I heard it was Karl Jenkins, when he released 'Adiemus' (1st CD) I think that one was 'Songs of Sanctuary'.

Was Karl the pioneer?

Andrew

[nicola]

A lot of people say it was that Mario guy from the 50s. Shame on me, I don't know the surname and I don't think I have the right decade. Also, a lot of people would say Vanessa Mae started the whole scene. She came in in the early 90's. I think that is too recent. It's difficult to say.
I didn't even consider Karl to be Classical Crossover (didn't even occur to me to at composers). I wouldn't call him crossover. His earlier works with Adiemus may be described as new age. It's all a bit blurry.

[gareth]

Hi Nicola,

I had the same thoughts - his full name is Mario Lanza. There's a festival in his honour every November in Philadelphia, in which special attention is given to a young performer in the Classical/Ctossover genre.

Gerrit

[roger]

Hi Andrew, Nicola and Gerrit,

I'm not sure that anyone pioneered Crossover. Like many styles of music, it evolved gradually. IMO, Mario Lanza (and others) was a classical singer who performed songs in a slightly contemporary style (for the time), but was it significantly different from anything that preceeded it to call it by another name (genre)?

Since then, many artists have taken that musical evolution one step further until it is recognised as being, arguably, a genre in its own right. That means, its origin could only be identified retrospectively which I think is impossible and is only a matter of opinion anyway.

Right, somebody disagree and we'll get a nice healthy discussion going.

Roger

[Holger]

Hi Nicola and Andrew,


I disagree as well that Karl Jenkins could be categorized as classical crossover. His music definitely is New Age.

Anyway, he wouldn't have been the first one either. The original album of Jenkins' Adiemus project, Songs of Sanctuary, was released in 1995.

So was Vanessa Mae's debut record, The Violin Player. Vanessa Mae, however, does perform classical crossover music, even though she herself calls it "techno-acoustic fusion violin music" (she is a pioneer in that one for sure ).

Let me add that I do enjoy both Jenkins' and Vanessa's works. Vanessa I even met twice (in 1996 and in 1998).

Who was the first classical crossover artist, then?

Well, I don't know for sure. I would go for Gian Piero Reverberi's "Rondo Veneziano" project which was launched back in 1980 (on vinyl record). If you would like to give it a try, here's a link to samples of the premiere album (CD version, released in 1984): www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000073F2/qid=1137359075/sr=1-14/ref=sr_1_11_14/303-0723430-8408258


Best regards,

Holger

[gareth]

You might check out the Mario Lanza thread - there was a brief discussion about him some months ago.

hwi.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Othermusic&action=display&thread=1124216298

Gerrit

[blue1]

Classical crossover has been around for a long time, sporadically. You could include the Classical/Jazz fusions that happened earlier in the twentieth century, or Classical/folk crossover people like Bartok or Janacek. If it comes to that, you could find Clasical crossover as soon as there was a Classical tradition at all.

The last significant instance got going in the late sixties and early seventies, with bands like Procol Harum, King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson Lake and Palmer.

It starts up again in different forms every now and then, and of course we've got new forms of it now. The real question isn't `when did it first happen,' but `how did the latest manifestation start?'

And I wonder what'll happen if the latest batch of crossover artists ever discover what the last lot did with it in the seventies? That really could shake things up.

[Dave]

Yes indeed... and who could forget the classical crossover group "Sky" started by classical guitarist John Williams in (I think) the 1970s? Now *that* brand of crossover is still, probably, unique. The opther members of the group were Herbie Flowers, Kevin Peek, Tristran Fry and Francis Monkman. Together, thier careers probably straddled every genre and style you could possibly name in music - THE LOT!!! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

And going waaaay back further in time there is Benjamino Gigli - primarily an opera singer known as "The Peoples Singer" who made recordings from the 1930s to the mid fifties. Some of his recording collections aren't too far removed from what we see today from Katherine Jenkins. Very little in classical crossover is new! In fact, I'll put on a Gigli album right now

Dave

[nicola]

This is where my age limits me in discussions like these. I don't remember as far back as you are all recalling lol. I was only born mid 80's

I would really like to think that Vanessa started this 'wave' of classical crossover. Purely because she is only as far as I can remember. Vanessa was recording earlier than 1995. I think her first recording was when she was 11 or 13?! I think this new wave of classical crossover started around 96/97 though. Sarah Brightman can in 96 with 'A Question of Honour' (very loosely described as crossover) and 'Time To Say Goodbye'.

We also can't forget Pavorotti's push in popular classical at the world cup in the early 90's.

I think 'Time To Say Goodbye' was a huge step for classical.

There are so many factors that contribute to new styles I thik it is impossible to pin point just one source.

On a side note... how did a topic about a link get into this? Lol

[blue1]

Point taken - but hey, I only remember the last phase, the seventies. I missed Ravel and Stravinsky, Bartok and Janacek. Just thought I'd better mention that.

[Dave]

Getting back on topic, I will reserve judgement on that site. I've got quite a few crossover sites and forums to keep an eye on at the moment and don't really need yet another one... however big it's going to be

If I knew whoever runs it I might be more interested. I wonder who does run it?

Cheers, Dave

[nicola]

I think the administrator of RussellWatsonUk runs is. I have never been to his Russell site.

I just found out that the site has only been opened for 48 hours. They have over 60 members already with over 1150 posts in the forum. Amazing!

[Andrew]

Don't get me started on all this... Oh yes- I have Sky on vinyl... I guess E.L.O qualifies too... & Emmerson Lake and Palmer's 'Fanfare for the Common Man' (1977) which incidentally was used as the theme tune for the 'Reporting Scotland' news bulletin programme in the late 70's & early 80's.

Does anyone remember Gordon Giltrap's 'Perilous Journey' LP, which had 'Heartsong' on it (theme to BBC 'Holiday' Programme 1977-1983)

At the risk of being 'Shot Down in Flames' ('AC/DC') Bon Scott the former lead singer used to play the bagpipes... and included them on the title track of the 'High Voltage' LP (1976, I think!) Is that classical crossover???

Somehow to me, all this rock stuff needs to be left behind... It's not in the same "class" as "classical" music. I went through a phase when I listened to nothing else... in my teenage years (although I still listen to a bit of 'Thin Lizzy' and went to see them on tour last January. The band is really Scott Gorham's now as he is the 1 surviving original band member still in the band on lead guitar- one of my all time favourite Gibson Les Paul players) Phil Lynott died in January 1986 from a heroin overdose... He was a fantastic rock singer (one of the best), but lead a rather empty life, still searching for answers... all rather depressing!

But in general (from my experience of living with it) rock music is riddled with negative messages and you are left feeling empty when the record/ CD/ Concert ends...

This stuff can't touch REAL classical music!

Andrew

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

This looks like quite an interesting site, so I'll have a look at it from time to time. I'm not planning on joining it for the time being, because this forum and Hayley's official forum keep me busy enough, and the "Other Music" boards seem to cover all my interests at the moment.

Best Wishes to everybody here and at classicalx.com.

Richard