Scanorama, April 2001: Difference between revisions
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Von Otter and Costello are in the Atlantis studio in Stockholm, a cozy, messy. old-fashioned studio with instruments scattered all about. A television team from British ITV is tiptoeing around with handheld cameras to catch the magic as one of the world's best classical singers meets one of the few geniuses of rock, a man who in recent years has edged closer and closer to classical territory. He has, for example, produced ''The Juliet Letters'' together with the classical Brodsky Quartet, and in the spring of 2000 Costello wrote the score for an Italian ballet production of ''Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.'' | Von Otter and Costello are in the Atlantis studio in Stockholm, a cozy, messy. old-fashioned studio with instruments scattered all about. A television team from British ITV is tiptoeing around with handheld cameras to catch the magic as one of the world's best classical singers meets one of the few geniuses of rock, a man who in recent years has edged closer and closer to classical territory. He has, for example, produced ''The Juliet Letters'' together with the classical Brodsky Quartet, and in the spring of 2000 Costello wrote the score for an Italian ballet production of ''Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.'' | ||
The studio is classic ground. ABBA recorded their first records here, and jazz legends such as pianist Bill Evans, trumpet-player and arranger Quincy Jones and saxophonists Stan Getz and Lars Gullin have made many of their finest recordings in this run-down former movie theater on a tree-lined street in one of the quieter quarters of the Swedish capital. The Bohlin grand piano that Benny Andersson played in "Dancing Queen" stands in a corner. | |||
When I met von Otter four years ago she talked about making a record together with Costello featuring music from the 1950s and 1960s. They had just given their first concert together, where they had sung a tender duet of "Baby It's Cold Outside" for an ecstatic Twelfth Night audience dressed in tuxedos and gowns in the magnificent Berwald Hall in Stockholm. Even then, Costello talked about writing three new songs especially for von Otter, on the eve of her European tour with the Brodsky Quartet. | |||
They got together several times during the tour, and their plans for a joint record project began to crystallize. Costello started sending her suggestions for songs they could record: von Otter proposed a couple of his songs. She also wanted to record two songs with the Swedish string ensemble The Flesh Quartet. and asked if Costello would consider writing English lyrics for them. | |||
On paper it is Costello as producer — dressed in suit and tie and wearing a hat to conceal a growing bald spot — who conducts the session. But to me there's no doubt that it's the tall, blonde woman sitting ramrod-straight in front of the mixing table and listening intently with closed eyes who has the last word. Pen in hand. she constantly jots down notes and personal comments on the sheet music. | |||
The recording of ''Anne So tie von Otter meets Elvis Costello — For The Stars'' has been in progress for scarcely one week now, and when it's over von Otter will have recorded some twenty songs, including tunes by Burt Bacharach. Paul McCartney and Nina Simone, a Beach Boys song, old and new compositions by Costello himself, a couple of melodies by The Flesh Quartet, songs by modern songwriters such as Tom Waits — and the ABBA song "Like An Angel Passing Through My Room" with the composer, Benny Andersson, on piano. | |||
It's only songs I like," says von Otter of the selection. And you can tell. (tell her she seems to be extremely focused when she sings. am," she says in agreement. "But I was even more | |||
Revision as of 04:52, 30 December 2013
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