By James Kent
RUTLAND—On a night when earlier in the day the Vermont Symphony Orchestra announced its federal funding had been eliminated, the VSO’s Jukebox Quartet proved why music and art matter and why losing it would be a profound loss to American culture and society no billionaire can affix a price tag to.
An up close and personal opportunity to see four of the finest classically-trained musicians in the state of Vermont take on the rock & roll and heavy-metal offerings of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Tool, and Van Halen, proved quite a draw on Friday, April 4 at the Paramount Theatre. The crowd seated on stage were not your average classical music enthusiasts. They were young kids, adults wearing concert t-shirts, and other inquisitive souls who had never attended a classical musical performance before. Prior to the show, there was a curious buzz of excitement at what a Heavy Metal Strings program even meant.
Twelve-year-old Ethan Moore, a Led Zeppelin fan, traveled to the show with his mom from Londonderry to attend the performance.
“In Vermont, you have to make an effort to culture your children. And it was an agreeable thing because it was rock,” said Moore’s mom, Sara Niklas, when asked why they traveled 45 minutes to the Paramount Theatre.
Moore was not the youngest in attendance. An even younger rock fan, a girl named Brooke, had a front-row seat to the performance and was seen rocking out with hands flashing in the air throughout the one-hour set.
And those Led Zeppelin fans in attendance wouldn’t have to wait long to experience the translation from electric instruments into string. The Jukebox Quartet, comprised of violinists Brook Quiggins-Saulnier and Joana Genova, Stefanie Taylor on viola, and John Dunlop on cello, kicked off the evening with a transformative edition of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” The familiar song set the tone for the night, and it was fun to look around at the faces awash in giddy delight as they experienced hearing a song so familiar yet arranged and performed in a way they had not previously comprehended was possible. And that was very much the intention of the host and curator of the Jukebox series, Matt LaRocca. Disorienting and reorienting is the goal of the Jukebox Quartet. They want to introduce new audiences to the possibilities and accessibility of classical music by presenting modern music in a way that removes perceived distance from those who may think classical is not for them.
The following selection was an eye and ear-opener for me. I am a person who can admit to not being the target market for heavy metal, and Tool isn’t a band I have much familiarity with. However, after the quartet’s performance of Tool’s “Forty Six & 2,” maybe I could be a fan. It was exciting and energetic, and when it was over, I whispered to my wife, “Wow.” Again, LaRocca and the Jukebox Quartet defied my expectations or whatever preconceived notions I may have had about hearing a classical interpretation of a Tool song.
LaRocca introduced the quartet’s next piece with a brief history of its composer, Dimitri Shostakovich, a life filled with political struggle and tragedy. While Shostakovich’s “Quartet 7, Movement. 3” is more of what an audience might consider a classical piece, as LaRocca reminded those in attendance, it is every bit as metal as Tool. LaRocca wasn’t kidding. Shostakovich can rock.
One of the highlights of the night came a couple of pieces later, when Quiggins-Saulnier, who has now forever been dubbed “the fun and sassy one’ of the gang of four, plugged in her violin for a masterclass solo performing Eddie Van Halen’s, “Eruption.” Well regarded by rock enthusiasts as one of the all-time great guitar solo pieces, Quiggins-Saulnier tore the song up on violin with a furious demonstration of guitar pedal work. Forgive the overused term “amazing,” but that’s the only word to describe it.
The next stand-out moment in an hour filled with stand-out moments was Dunlop’s solo performance of Judah Adashi’s “My Heart Comes Undone.” Dunlop utilized a loop pedal to build layer upon layer of cello, creating the illusion that a full cello quartet was on stage performing the piece. Watching Dunlop create a soundscape from one instrument and a piece of electronic equipment was jaw-dropping. I don’t know what the audience at the Paramount Theatre was expecting out of the evening, but I guarantee they didn’t know that was coming, and it was a dazzler.
Nirvana’s “In Bloom,” arranged by Quiggins-Saulnier’s husband, Kyle Saulnier, was the second-to-last piece of the evening, and, again, it was a transformative experience that brought the on-stage crowd to a state of joy. It was hard not to imagine that if Kurt Cobain could have been there to hear his work translated into strings by these four talented musicians, he wouldn’t have had a smile on his face.
The night ended where it began, with Led Zeppelin. Young Ethan Moore would get his reward with a brilliant rendition of “Stairway to Heaven.” It was the perfect way to end a perfect night, sending the audience home satisfied. There is much going on in the country and world today, but all of that was forgotten for a brief moment in time. What was left in the memories of those at the Paramount last Friday night: music has value and meaning, and those gifted enough to bring that importance into our lives should not be forgotten. They are worth far more than the money lining a billionaire’s pockets. Please support the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. We need them around as much as they need us.
