By Lawrence Toppman
What do Beethoven and Beyoncé have in common, beyond the first two letters of their names?
Well, he was acknowledged as the pre-eminent composer of his day 200 years ago, while she has amassed more Grammy nominations (99) than any performer in history. Both would continually reinvent themselves, changing styles to conquer unfamiliar genres.
The great modern purveyor of danceable music is the same age (43) as Beethoven was when he finished his Seventh Symphony, which Richard Wagner called “the Apotheosis of the Dance itself: It is Dance in its highest aspect, the loftiest deed of bodily motion, incorporated into an ideal mold of tone.”
And, of course, they both know how to groove.
That’s what put the audience on its feet near the end of “Beethoven x Beyoncé,” the mashup of that 1813 symphony and 14 of Queen Bey’s tunes. Even your aged correspondent danced in front of his seat and put a tentative foot into the Knight Theater aisle. I went to this Charlotte Symphony Orchestra concert to respect the intention and admire the execution of this unusual hybrid. But I ended up grinning with pleasure.
And who didn’t? Kari Giles, sitting in as concertmaster, got to play country fiddle and schmaltzy gypsy soloes. The brass section emitted dirty New Orleans growls. The strings, who’d backed up Andrea Bocelli during his Opera Carolina concert two weeks ago, turned around 180 degrees to support a three-piece rock band and a trio of first-rate female vocalists.
Conductor-creator Steve Hackman has done this sort of production many times. He created “Beethoven x Coldplay” in 2015 and did “Brahms X Radiohead,” which the symphony incorporated in an experimental series years ago. He has put together an experience that’s sometimes straight-up Beethoven, sometimes unadulterated Beyoncé, and sometimes a startlingly effective blend of the two.
When the vocal trio reached the “Put a ring on it” chorus from “Single Ladies,” they matched the lilting middle section of Beethoven’s third movement note for note. The second movement of the symphony morphed into the dramatic “Halo” without a hitch. The classically trained Hackman led the Beethoven portions with intelligence, a light touch and plenty of energy, though he blasted through the final movement. (Some musicologists think that’s what the composer intended, but it always sounds frantic and rushed to me.)
Each of the three singers embodied a side of Beyoncé’s musical personality. Kaylah Sharvé got the more ethereal numbers and songs of longing; Malia Chivetz handled the earthier numbers that needed a belter, though she could also be tender; Brayla Cook delivered the take-no-prisoners songs, punctuating them with audience-rousing raps. Yet all three harmonized beautifully and served as back-up singers when not soloing. (Hackman, also a singer, chipped in for a verse of “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The audience, unprompted, supplied the appropriate “Whoos” and eventually sang along on “Crazy in Love.”)
It’s worth noting that, when Hackman kicked off the concert by asking how many of us had come to hear Beyoncé and how many to hear Beethoven, both factions were equally loud. And when he asked how many were attending our first CSO concert, he got a big wave of applause in reply. I rode up in the elevator from the parking lot with two women who had never been to Knight Theater and were excited finally to have a reason to go.
I’ve never seen a more diverse audience at a Charlotte Symphony concert, not just racially but in age — elementary schoolers to people in their 70s — dress styles and concert behavior, mostly respectful but relaxed and uninhibited. That act of coming together was part of the joy that lifted me out of my seat.