[2015024] Zephyr Quartet presents Cult Classics
Zephyr Quartet @ Royal Croquet Club – The Menagerie
2:30pm, Sun 15 Feb 2015
So: I’ve professed my love for Zephyr Quartet on many occasions, and I was utterly thrilled to see them performing one of their “Cult Classics” shows – their renditions of well-known songs, arranged and tweaked for a string quartet. As a result, this was the very first ticket I bought for this Fringe… but when I turned up a good half-hour before the allotted start time, I was delighted/dismayed to discover that the queue to get into The Menagerie was long and winding underneath the blazing sun.
Once the venue had been filled to capacity, Zephyr appeared (to applause that matched the warmth of the day) and plunged straight into an immediately recognisable Bohemian Rhapsody, and then took us on a tour of the Quartet’s favourite songs from the contemporary playlist – from Wuthering Heights to Enter Sandman via Africa.
The one thing all their selections had in common was – quite frankly – brilliant composition. Sure, some of their adaptations derived a lot of their delight from the sheer quirkiness of hearing a stringified rendition (like Why Can’t This Be Love and Livin’ On A Prayer), but all of the adaptations could stand on their own as examples of dynamic quartet arrangements. And under Zephyr’s arrangement, The Church’s Under The Milky Way transformed into one of the most beautiful, tear-inducing pieces of music I’ve heard in years… a truly awesome highlight.
Look – Zephyr have never done anything that hasn’t brought me joy. I still remain absolutely smitten with their arrangements and musicianship, and – even when I’m not a fan of the source material – there was plenty to appreciate: the Sia encore (complete with a quartet of platinum blonde wigs) was delivered with a cheeky grin, and the stage banter regarding rock crushes – Emily introducing Queens Of The Stone Age via Josh Homme, Belinda introducing Madonna (“…awkward!”) – was a delight.
Would I prefer to have seen their take on something like ELO’s 10538 Overture? Well, sure – but (besides the incredibly niche material) that arrangement may have been too easy to be truly satisfying… because it’s the gorgeous string structuring behind familiar songs that really made Cult Classics soar.
(I’d tell you to go buy Zephyr’s Cult Classics CD – their rendition of Golden Brown is wonderful – except it’s not listed on their store anymore. A shame – but their other CDs are all awesome, too, so go buy them instead!)
(24) Zephyr Quartet presents Cult Classics: Wonderful string renditions of classics. "Under the Milky Way" brought tears. #ff2015 #ADLfringe
— Pete Muller (@festivalfreakAU) February 15, 2015