A Song For You is developing a »Soulful Missa« for Beethovenfest 2024, characterised by contemporary themes and performed with a large orchestra and band. We spoke to the artistic minds behind the vocal ensemble, Noah Slee and Dhanesh Jayaselan, about the production.
What was your first impulse when you heard about the idea of dealing with Beethoven?
It was pretty overwhelming. Musically I [Noah] come from a different background but hold respect for classical music and enjoy listening to it. After some time I started to feel inspiration and a sense of readiness. We have had some moments of working with more classical music, so this is just taking that to a whole new level. On top of that, Beethoven is not just any other name... So getting the chance to rework, rearrange, and reimagine a whole piece by him is quite the task, however we think our alignment with some neo-classical musical approaches has already given us a hint of how we can combine groove driven neo-soul with his compositions.
Can you give us an insight into your »Missa«, what can we expect in Bonn?
»A Soulful Missa« is a reimagined rendition inspired by the original message but embracing a holistic and universal approach. Prepare to be immersed in beautiful soulful melodies, resonant gospel harmonies, graceful movements, captivating storytelling, and an utilization of space, light, and sound that will touch most of your senses.
Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« is one of the most well-known pieces in classical music and the basis and inspiration for your own Missa. How did you approach the work?
The focus was about taking elements from the original and reshaping them to align with our A Song For You sensibilities. We aimed to blend aspects from the original music and lyrics, tailoring them to resonate authentically with our message and what we stand for. Regarding the narrative, without revealing too much, it revolves around introspection, embracing, and expressing gratitude for all aspects of existence.
What characterises you as a collective?
We birthed the ensemble for two main reasons: one, creating a platform for BIPOC and underrepresented voices and to highlight those stories, and two, to celebrate the power of collective singing and make art that pushes boundaries and is a reimagined approach to the ›choir‹. It was also about elevating what a music performance could be, and our attempt at that through the multiple different avenues of creative expression that we are into. What we believe leaves a lasting effect with people who come to our shows is the authenticity of our performances, the stories we tell, and the journey we take the audience on with our shows – it’s about inviting them also to share their vulnerability with us, and open themselves to feeling what we’re putting out.
How are the tasks distributed in your collective (who is doing what) when it comes to developing a new show?
When it comes to building the shows, we [Noah & Dhanesh] usually work on this together from months before the show. It’s a process of figuring out the musical direction, what the message/narrative and the topic is. From here, Noah will build out choir arrangements, also working with Johnny Kulo, our band director, while Dhanesh takes care of the Creative Direction and Production that surrounds shows. There’s also a lot fo research that goes into our creations; from consistently updating our moodboards, our references, our palettes, and also just what we’re trying to achieve in that moment. Generally, we have specific roles already in motion for all our shows. We have a leadership group, an awareness team, and will work with our own folks for shows to help with styling, hair and make-up.
What are your next steps as a collective, where do you see yourselves in the future?
We have a lot of exciting plans in the works. 2024 is essentially the outcome of a lot of the hard-work that was put into the group by all the singers, instrumentalists, dancers, and external collaborators. We don’t want to give away too much, as we haven’t released a lot of information at this point (we’re currently at 8th Feb), but you can expect a body of music and incredible shows. We’ll be taking our music across Germany, and also a whole lot of activations in Berlin. We frequently take place in very interesting creative collaborations with other artists and entities, but we’re manifesting some dream collaborations that, for the sake of superstition, we’ll keep disclosed. You’ll see us if it comes true!