DSO Guest Conductor Steve Hackman
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
Dallas may not be on the Cowboy Carter Tour right now, but North Texas can still get a bit of Beyoncé — from an unlikely source. For anyone feeling like they are missing out, hit up the Dallas Symphony Orchestra next weekend when the DSO delivers a mashup of the “Texas Hold ’Em” singer and another music icon: On May 17, DSO presents Beethoven X Beyoncé, with guest conductor Steve Hackman, for one night only.
Hackman mixes the queen’s music with a classical king’s work, and the result is a music celebration.
Her songs woven into his 7th Symphony is the musical fusion you might not know you needed. And go ahead and wear that Beyoncé concert outfit you planned for Cowboy Carter.
Why not?
Ahead of next week’s concert, Hackman talked about his mashup concert and how this and his other works with other pop stars have become a gateway into music of all kinds.
Dallas Voice: To start simply, how did you come up with the concept of these classical fusions? Steve Hackman: Firstly, it is who I am as a musician and composer. I didn’t grow up in a strict classical household; therefore, I had the fortune of being introduced to all kinds of music, from many different genres, without any sort of judgment on that music.
I fell in love with classical and popular music in parallel and never saw them as very different.
I was practicing Chopin and Bach and Beethoven after school, at night listening to house DJs on B96 Chicago and on the bus in the morning listening to The Beatles and Phish and Notorious BIG.
From the very beginning I’ve seen the connection points in this music. Combining them was an eventuality.
Second, reaching new audiences for classical music has always been a mission of mine, in part because, as a fan of popular music, I’ve always known that there are passionate fans of all kinds of music out there from other genres; we just haven’t been talking to them. I’ve known this because it was all of my friends growing up! The fusion productions are a way to meet them where they are.
The goal is to bring them into the concert hall, invite them in for an experience that is safe and exciting and dynamic and unique and have them leave wondering more about the Dallas Symphony and classical music in general.
The possibilities seem endless! Could you describe the Beethoven x Beyoncé concert to audiences not sure what to expect here in Dallas? It is a fusion of Beethoven’s “7th Symphony” with the music of Beyoncé. Three guest singers and a guest drummer, bassist and keyboardist/guitarist join the orchestra. We hear stretches of the original Beethoven, then the music begins to transform into a synthesis that is at once Beethoven and Beyoncé.
For large stretches we hear our favorite songs of Beyoncé in a form very similar to the original, just with the lush orchestra accompanying; however, in many sections, we hear Beyoncé’s music totally transformed into a new blend with Beethoven. It is the music we would hear if somehow, in a dream world, Beethoven and Beyoncé actually got to collaborate with each other!
What has been your audience feedback? I often hear that audiences had no idea what to expect, but they came because they were intrigued. These works are emotional and grand. I think many audiences are surprised by that, by the scope of it all. And I think they really react positively to it.
We LGBTQ folk love our pop icons. Have you found a queer audience with shows like these? Oh my, yes. There are deeper themes with this fusion work that go beyond the musical concept. Some people would say Beyoncé’s music doesn’t belong in a symphony hall. Some people would say it’s not right to combine Beethoven with something like Beyoncé. Some people believe that if something doesn’t fit squarely into the conventional (binary) boxes that they created, then it doesn’t even have the right to exist.
I vehemently challenge those positions. This work is an active protest against such prejudice and phobia.
Who are some artists in your sights who’ve yet to get the fusion classical treatment? Oh wow. A lot. I need to write an electronica-themed fusion; maybe it’s Daft Punk. Then a country one. Then a metal one. There’s a lot to do.
For tickets, visit DallasSymphony.org.