The Swingles
Sunday’s a cappella concert at Shenzhen Concert Hall by Grammy winner the Swingles is not to be missed.
The program includes music of various styles from various regions and eras, such as “Nana” by Manuel de Falla, Bach’s “Air on the G String” and “Prelude in F Minor,” “Red Rain” by Peter Gabriel, and “Edelweiss,” with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and music by Richard Rodgers. The audience will also hear colorful folk songs from Bulgaria and Afghanistan.
Initially founded by U.S. vocalist and jazz musician Ward Swingle in France in 1962, the group has produced covers ranging from pop songs (Annie Lennox, the Beatles) to classical (Bach, Mozart) and contemporary music (Luciano Berio, Pascal Zavaro and Azio Corghi). Their arrangements are often infused with jazz harmonies and styles.
In 1963, they recorded their first album “Jazz Sebastian Bach” as a present for friends and relatives. Many radio stations picked it up and this led to the group recording more albums and winning a total of five Grammy Awards.
In 2005, their recording of Bach’s “Prelude in F Minor” was incorporated into the hit single “They” by Jem Griffiths. The piece was also used in the 2006 film “The Gigolos.” The group’s music has a trademark sound and is used frequently in television (“The West Wing,” “Sex in the City,” “Miami Vice,” “Glee”) and in movies (Bach’s “Fugue in G Minor” in “Thank You for Smoking,” Mozart’s “Horn Concerto No. 4” in “Wedding Crashers,” and Bach’s “Prelude No. 7 in E-flat” in “Milk”).
Wherever they went, the Swingles immersed themselves in the local culture and joyfully worked with traditional artists, blending the distinctive folk music of various regions with their splendid a cappella harmonies. In their album “Folklore,” they ingeniously fuse the diverse tapestry of global folk music with a cappella arrangements that have been captivating listeners around the globe.
They have earned the reputation as the “vocal symphony orchestra” thanks to Berio’s audacious experiments in amplifying the resonant sound of the vocal chorus to give the effect of an orchestral performance, best illustrated by the piece “Sinfonia” (“Symphony”). Notably, their rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” where their voices reverberate like a resounding cannon salute, has garnered wide acclaim as one of the finest musical performances ever staged.
Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 22
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
Booking: WeChat account “szyyt_piao”
Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (深圳音乐厅)
Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D