How to go
What: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Art of Time Ensemble”
Where: Clark State Performing Arts Center, Kuss Auditorium, 300 S. Fountain Ave., Springfield
When: 7:30 p.m. next Friday, Oct. 7
Admission: $35
More info: Call 937-328-3874 or go online to http://pac.clarkstate.edu and click "view all events."
Picture yourself in a seat at the Kuss Auditorium. Sgt. Pepper may have taught them to play, but there’s more still to be heard from the Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The Beatles never performed any songs from their landmark “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album as a band in concert. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band: The Art of Time Ensemble” will reimagine those classic tunes onstage, fusing classical music with rock and pop.
The Clark State Performing Arts Center will become Pepperland for a night at 7:30 p.m. next Friday, Oct. 7.
This Club Kuss show is presented by the Clark State Performing Arts Center.
Art of Time Ensemble artistic director Andrew Burashko may be a classical musician and pianist, but he’s a proud fanboy when it comes to the Beatles.
With part of the group’s goal being attracting young people to enjoy classical music, this concert blending pop and classical has the exact ingredients to attract all sorts of music fans, especially since the Beatles transcend generations.
“As far as I’m concerned, everything they did was perfect,” Burashko said. “I wanted to bring a fresh, interesting approach.”
His goal was to have the styles intersect as a bridge. He said the harmonies are the same and he didn’t tamper with the base of the tunes, which include timeless staples such as “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “A Day in the Life.”
He worked with arrangers to make sure that goal was met. The album was far from straight-ahead rock and included a range of styles such as Indian music (“Within You Without You”), English music hall (“When I’m Sixty-Four”) and circus-influenced music (“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”).
“They were interested in all types of music,” Burashko said.
An orchestra was also integrated into various songs, as well (“A Day in the Life,” “She’s Leaving Home”). The show will feature 12 musicians, half pop and half orchestral.
Add in four singers who performed with various pop bands, including Steven Page, founder and former singer of Barenaked Ladies, and the band you’ve known for all these years will bring something fresh and familiar.
“It is an experiment to push the boundaries without ruining the song,” Burashko said.
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