Mar 31, 2016
On April 16, one of the most intriguing mash-ups in music history will be performed live: “Yeethoven,” a mix of Kanye West and Ludwig van Beethoven.
While the two composers are on opposite ends of the musical genre spectrum, it probably won’t come as a surprise that West compared himself to Beethoven in 2012. “I am flawed as a human being. I am flawed as a person. As a man, I am flawed, but my music is perfect,” he said. “This is the best you’re gonna get ladies and gentlemen in this lifetime, I’m sorry. You could go back to Beethoven and sh*t, but as far as this lifetime, though, this is all you got.”
In a video promoting the event, the voice-over says what we're all thinking: "You wouldn't intuitively think of Kanye West and Beethoven as being similar musicians." The concert aims to highlight the similarities between the genres by splicing together elements of different works. "Obviously they work within very different traditions. But if you listen a little closer, you'll notice a lot of similarities: their brashness, wild contrast, thrashing juxtapositions within a single bar of music."
Conductor Yuga Cohler and arranger Stephen Feigenbaum have curated the concert as part of the Great Music Series, hosted by the Young Musicians Foundation. Six Beethoven works and six tracks from Yeezus will performed live by a 70-piece orchestra at the Aratani Theatre in Los Angeles. “As the concert progresses, music by the two will become increasingly integrated, ultimately resulting in a total mash-up of the two,” explains the concert website. “If you find this concert far-fetched, we invite you to come and listen – see if you can tell where Beethoven ends and Kanye begins.”
THE GREAT MUSIC SERIES: Yeethoven
Saturday, April 16th, 2016 | 7:30 PM Aratani Theatre - Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free admission – no tickets required.
Image: Musicfeeds