‘From the Top’ host Christopher O’Riley finds the Shostakovich-Radiohead connection.
By: Susan Van Dongen
Dmitri Shostakovich, trying to write his subtly expressive works under the boot of the Stalinist regime, might seem quite the opposite of British alt-rock superstars Radiohead, but pianist Christopher O’Riley sees plenty of similarities in their music.
"It’s a worthwhile connection in that they both have characteristics of music that I enjoy playing," Mr. O’Riley says. "First and foremost, they share a compelling harmonic language. And very important, they both employ a rich textural language and format. For example, Shostakovich intermingles various voices in his fugues. Surprisingly, Radiohead, despite the modest musical education of its members, really is an ensemble more horizontally oriented than your average rock band churning away on power chords.
"Also Radiohead and Shostakovich have similarities in their grasp and use of irony in their music," he continues. "Shostakovich, by necessity, was writing music in a Stalinist regime, so most of his expressive elements had to be sub rosa. With Radiohead, you often have a pretty musical background as a setting for some rather dark lyrics. There’s that sense of opposites inhabiting the same musical space."
Mr. O’Riley was so intrigued with these connections that he put together a series of concerts split between Shostakovich and Radiohead. He’ll perform this eclectic program at the Peddie School’s Mount-Burke Theater in Hightstown May 20, rounding out CAPPS’s Signature Saturday series.
The virtuoso musician also known for his popular National Public Radio program From the Top has made several appearances where he’s played transcriptions of the music of Elliott Smith, the singer-songwriter who died in 2003. The recitals follow the April release of Mr. O’Riley’s new CD, Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute by Christopher O’Riley (World Village/Harmonia Mundi).
Known for his transcriptions of non-classical music, the Los Angeles-based pianist tackles the emotional and complex work of Mr. Smith. Some might know the reclusive performer from his song "Miss Misery," included in the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting and nominated for an Academy Award in 1997 (he lost to the chest-thumping "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic). The songwriter’s poignant, yet mildly dissonant sense of melody turns out to be perfect for the piano and Mr. O’Riley has been able to capture the songwriter’s manic highs and lows.
The pianist says he stumbled on Mr. Smith’s music accidentally when he heard him cover the Lennon/McCartney tune "Because" on the American Beauty soundtrack. By the time he was delving into the songwriter’s catalog, Mr. Smith had passed away.
"I never really heard him before he died, but my friend steered me toward ‘Either Or’ and once I heard that, I wanted to hear absolutely everything I could get my hands on," Mr. O’Riley says. "Part of the attraction was the art of the songwriting. But also, Elliott was a very emotionally available performer. One was aware of whether he was ‘into it,’ whether his voice was in good shape. There were all kinds of elements that were allowed to surface, especially in his live performances.
"I played one concert at the Getty Museum and his parents were there," he continues. "After the concert, I met them and his dad said that I had gotten into Elliott’s head, that I was able to express his music from the inside out. That was all I needed to hear. I can stop reading my reviews now."
Because of this curiosity about all kinds of music, Mr. O’Riley has redefined the possibilities of classical music, taking his vision to both traditional classical music venues and symphonic settings, as well as entirely new audiences on the radio, at universities and even clubs.
An interpreter and arranger of some of the most important contemporary popular music of our time, he lives by the Duke Ellington adage, "There are only two kinds of music good music and bad." His first recording of Radiohead transcriptions True Love Waits (Sony/Odyssey) was critically acclaimed as well as commercially successful. His second set of music from the British alt-pop outfit, Hold Me to This: Christopher O’Riley Plays the Music of Radiohead (World Village/Harmonia Mundi), was also enthusiastically embraced.
In addition to his own transcriptions, Mr. O’Riley has ventured into alternate territory on tour with other classical artists. Among his programs with fellow pianists are Heard Fresh: Music for Two Pianos, with the jazz pianist Fred Hersch and Los Tangueros with the Argentinian pianist Pablo Ziegler. The latter is a program of two-piano arrangements that feature the classic tangos of Astor Piazzolla.
Mr. O’Riley has performed his transcriptions at major jazz festivals in Istanbul, London, San Francisco and Sicily as well as on a tour of the U.K. His next transcriptions project will feature the music of the late British folksinger Nick Drake.
"I’ve always being keen on playing music I believed in, but I also get a charge out of playing music that people don’t know, real diamond-in-the-rough stuff," Mr. O’Riley says. "People are coming to the concerts who don’t know Elliott’s music and have been overheard as saying they want to hear more. If people’s first reaction to hearing my record and concerts is to go out and get an Elliott Smith CD, then I’m very, very happy."
Christopher O’Riley will perform at the Mount-Burke Theater at the Peddie School, South Main Street, Hightstown, May 20, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20. For information, call (609) 490-7551. On the Web: www.peddie.org/capps. Christopher O’Riley on the Web: www.christopheroriley.com