Apocalyptica bandleader composed "Wagner_Reloaded" - First feedback!
we
are very glad to have you and Apocalyptica participating in the
“Wagner_reloaded” project in Leipzig 2013
Eicca:
“It is a very interesting and ambitious project combining Wagner’s
music with the sound of Apocalyptica!”
Q:
How is the work going? It must be a lot of work to compose and/or
arrange a 90-minute nonstop show for an orchestra. Are you on time?
Eicca:
“The work is going pretty well, even though it took a lot of time
to prepare things, and to get an overview of the whole piece. I have
been trying to create a full “skeleton” for the piece before
diving into the details of the individual songs. However, I think I
am on time ;-).”
Q:
What do you think is the challenge for Apocalyptica in terms of using
and performing Wagner’s music? And how will you transform special
songs by Apocalyptica for an orchestra?
Eicca:
“All of Wagner’s works chosen for this piece are really massive
masterpieces. Obviously, that means a serious challenge in terms of
arranging and writing new music around itin such a way that the
result will be a solid piece of music. Additionally, as there is a
script for the piece, in a way it is like writing music for a movie
without seeing the pictures. Every song needs to fit the script.”
Q:
There are some chorus parts as well. Is it possible to transform
Wagner’s monumental music into typical Apocalyptica sound?
Eicca:
“I think it is. I will keep some of Wagner’s parts as they
werewritten originally, but there will be a lot of alternative
structures and newly written parts as well. Some serious metal
included… In the end, I am a servant of the storyboard, and the
music is an important part of the whole masterpiece.”
Q:
If Wagner lived in our times, what kind of music do you thinkhe would
create today?
Eicca:
“That is impossible to say, as every artist’s work is a
combination of their personality and the surroundings they live in.
As we know from Wagner’s history, major changes in his personal
life have affected his work. If he would be writing music today, his
orchestrations maybe would not even fit opera houses,but would be
performed in stadiums …”
Q:
The productionof this project looks gorgeous: about 80 dancers and
acrobats, the MDR orchestra, the MDR choir, and various monumental
objects. The dimensions of the stage are 50 by 15 meters. The Art
Director of the spectacle, Gregor Seyffert, would like to involve you
in the show as well, which sounds crazy and challenging! Are you
looking forward to that? How do you think it will work with your
instruments? The distancesin the concert hall are quite long.
Eicca:
“I am super excited to get into real action, as we are experienced
performers and LOVE new challenges. As far as I know, we need to do
many things we have never done before. But on the other handwe have
always loved to make music videos, because we ended up doing things
we would not normally do a lot, and I think Gregor has many surprises
waiting for us .”
Eicca,
thanks a lot for your first impressions!
