As a result of the work the Seattle Choral Company had done on various big screen movie trailers in recent years, VGL’s Mssrs. Wall and Tallarico were referred to the SCC as a group that would not only be willing but able to take on their music. It was admittedly a bit surreal when the music was passed out at rehearsal with the titles of video games at the top – a bit reminiscent of the SCC’s recent concert featuring music based on the Simpsons TV show, but even one step further removed from reality. To be honest, I was expecting some pretty dry and simple music – a few ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ to fill out the sound – but found instead the music to be challenging. The most difficult perhaps was the music to Civilization which flew along at a fast tempo with the added challenge of singing in something akin to Swahili. Seriously.
Given the content, rehearsals were relatively light-hearted and filled with comments such as, “Dude! This part of the song is where that dude is fighting that guy with the super blammo gun!” Or something like that. Yes, Virginia, even symphonic choirs are filled with gamers. [At this point I should reveal that I am not, in fact, a gamer, but will say, as a result of this experience, that I now have greater respect for those who are.] Even without much input from the VGL folks, the choir was more than able to pick up the music in a relatively short time – nice working with talented people!
Concert day comes along, and much of that experience proved unique, as well – particularly for a choir full of classically-trained singers. The concert was held at the Paramount Theater in downtown Seattle to a sold-out house. While wandering outside the theater before the concert, I overheard scalpers selling tickets for well over $200. Suddenly, this event was taking on a different significance: if the market says that tickets can be sold for over double face value, well, then, this is pretty serious stuff.
After the usual routine of “hurry up and wait” that pervades performance days for musicians, the choir did a run through with Mr. Wall. Thankfully, our director, Fred Coleman, had rehearsed us well so Jack was quite impressed with our sound. You could see why the VGL tour has been so successful – Jack and Tommy are both impressive and polished leaders and musicians. A favorite part of the rehearsal and performance was for the Guitar Hero piece. The song choice for this interactive part of the concert, Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, is a classic rock hit. When Jack told us to “sing it like you’re alone in your car,” you could almost feel the entire choir lick their chops. Suffice it to say there was no lack of volume.
I will say I was impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the crowd. Not just of the music, but of the composers (a couple of whom were in attendance), performers, and, of course, of Jack and Tommy themselves. Such fanaticism I have only seen from fans of the Grateful Dead or Phish, for example, but these folks qualify. But for the SCC, and for me in particular, it was a real honor, great fun, and a unique treat to be on the other side of the stage at something that was as much rock concert as it was anything else. Who knew that singing in a choir could lead to such things – and what a great group of folks to able to step outside its traditional boundaries. In the end, we were paid the ultimate compliment by Jack and Tommy as they asked if we could be available when they came to Portland, OR on their next swing west.
Can do, indeed!
~James Newton, Tenor
