Ever since Deep Purple’s Jon Lord wrote a number of rock numbers to be performed by bands and orchestras, songs written in the minutes right before taking the stage, playing rock tunes along with classical musicians has become something of a rite of passage.
Sure, there are many groups who have done. Many of them are extremely famous, to begin with. And some, frankly, have opted for this setup as nothing more than a gimmick.
Still, when rock groups do it for the right reasons, as Reaven do here, the results can be spectacular. It’s not only the possibility of reorchestrating material, of adding new sounds but the message that taking on such a project sends into the world. It says, “This is a group whose music ought to be taken seriously.”
With this in mind, the modern pop-rock quartet provides their best compositions with the old-fashioned classical treatment. The songs on the “Live Symphony Orchestra” were recorded during a one-night sold-out show in France.
It begins with a piece of original music, one in which the orchestra, in full force, is able to show its worth before adding its touches to “Burning Night.” A danceable pop tune, “Burning Night,” a song about nighttime lust here, is not exactly transformed as given more power, more resonance.
Next up, “Escape”, with its moody vocal samples, fits well into this format as both band and orchestra climb toward the summit of the composition – the tune’s driving chorus.
“Electric Love” is a pure radio pop tune written for long Summer nights. The orchestra does not interfere with this, and, in fact, the backing here feels quite natural. The same can be said for the slow-paced, melancholy-filled “Memories.”
Naturally, this means that only thing left is for Reaven to finish it all off by exploring its biggest hits. And, as planned, the backing means a greater emphasis on sonic majesty and power. The hooks suffer minor alterations, too, but it’s all generally an enhancement.
First, the singalong “My City’s on Fire,” with its whistled melody, is delivered with confidence. The tune isn’t much changed, but the fact that this is no longer played by a quartet but by a much larger group of musicians has an immediate effect.
It all segues into the concert’s outro and Reaven’s other big hit, “For Tomorrow Song,” and the hopefulness of the piece is delivered with accuracy by the pop group and orchestra.
Does adding more instruments and more musicians actually help improve a song? If treated cleverly as an asset, the answer is “yes.”
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