Sgt. Pepper reinvented

Andrew Burashko was introduced to the Beatles for the first time when he arrived in Canada in 1973 aged eight years old, part of a large wave of Jewish emigration from the then-Soviet Union. He’s been a fan ever since.

“The first pop music I heard was by the Beatles. The first two albums were Help and Abbey Road. And I just became addicted to them.”

That beginning has turned into a life-long love affair with the music John, Paul, George and Ringo. And it has found its way into Burashko’s music. His favourite Beatle back then was Paul.

Today Burashko is a classically trained pianist and the artistic director of Toronto’s Art of Time ensemble which is in its 12th season, with a mandate to give classical music contemporary relevance and context. Art of Time is “committed to finding new ways of blending classical music with other genres as well as other art forms.”

It was a natural for the group to adapt Beatles music including the iconic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Art of Time’s ensemble for this concert includes: Andrew Burashko, piano; Véronique Mathieu, violin; Stephen Sitarski, violin; Carolyn Blackwell, viola; Doug Perry, viola; the artistic director of the OCS Roman Borys, cello; John Johnson, saxophone; Rob Piltch, guitar; Joseph Phillips; bass and Rick Sacks, drums and percussion.

And they will be joined by some big names in Canadian music: Steven Page (formerly of the Barenaked Ladies), John Mann (Spirit of the West), Andy Maize (Skydiggers), and Craig Northey (The Odds). Over the years, the ensemble has worked with artists such as Peggy Baker, Sarah Slean, Tom McCamus, Shauna Rolston, Ted Dykstra, Phil Dwyer and Michael Ondaatje.

The new interpretation of the Lennon-McCartney masterpiece features arrangements running from pop, jazz and classical composers. The one rule the arrangers had to stick to was that the vocals and vocal harmonies had to be exactly as they were on the original “ to be true to the Beatles.” These vocals are the anchor for the new work, Burashko says.

Sgt. Pepper isn’t his first Beatles effort. Art of Time reworked Abbey Road on its 40th anniversary. “It just worked like a dream and so I wanted to do another album.

Why the Beatles: “It’s the most universal music that I can think of. To me the Beatles were this remarkable freak of nature.”

Source: Peter Robb – Calgary Herald