Evan Shinners - @Bach
Evan Shinners might not look like a young man on a mission. But when you take the music of Bach, tweak it with your own spin, outrage and enthrall the critics, play Lower East Side clubs like Rockwood Music Hall or L.A.'s The Mint, perform Beethoven's 9th upside down from a hole in a piano as part of MOMA art exhibit -- well, you get the picture. The 24-year-old Juilliard grad is looking to bring Bach into the 21st century not just from a historical perspective but with a 2011 attitude -- to create what he calls a "modern experience" using Bach as his catalyst. His new album @Bach, due December 6, is an unedited, live concert that is a dazzling display of technical virtuosity (watch the video after the jump) -- but it's also much more. "Within the Bach pieces I improvise, change notes, rescore, reharmonize," says Shinners, "not out of disrespect for the composer, but to bring an air of unexpectedness and spontaneity that I feel the traditional classical music concert has lost..."
For those of us who live almost completely outside of the "classical world", it's a daunting, humbling and magical experience to watch Shinners -- like modern Rip Van Winkles awakening to discover an exotic and extraordinary world that's been here all along. It's still a different language, in a way, but it's impossible not to be moved by what's being communicated here -- and how. Shinners takes it one bold step further, bringing what are often considered dusty relics of some sacred artistic shrine into the bright light of today. We relate to the enormous skill-set -- we also admire the audacity of attitude. @Bach might not make it to your library -- or "cloud" for that matter. That's OK. But, sometimes it's good to go off the road now and then, travel down a different path, discover alternate views even if we're "just visiting". Shinners reminds us of the importance of doing just that -- and he's just the man on a mission to take us there. After all, as Time Out NY summed up, he's "a bonafide Bach star."
Evan Shinners - "Courante" (French Suite from @Bach)
Evan Shinners - "Allegro" (Concerto from @Bach)
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@Bach, Evan Shinners
Reader Comments (10)
Great Video! I like him a Lot
evan $hinners is the lil' wayne of classical music!!!!!!!!
If ever there WERE a young man who looked like he was on a mission!
Disagreements on what he's conveying in that photograph aside (it's admittedly hard to tell beneath his omnipresent shades), watching said young man is indeed an enthralling experience. Whether you're a stuffy old classical fart or someone barely acquainted with the classical genre, Evan manages to rope you in instantly. You forget about genre, propriety, rules, and boundaries all together, and isn't that the point of music, anyway? You stop thinking and just listen. He plays with utter conviction, and, if you have ears and eyes, you'll definitely notice.
THIS IS THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD
Evan's Bach is better than sex. Fo reals.
What can Evan do for us, the nerd population of America? This is the real question.
You have inspired me to write a poem!
Ode to Phaseolus lunatus
By S. B.
Lima, lima, lima bean
You’re so happy, you’re so green
I just wish I liked your taste
Then I’d gulp you down in haste.
I'd have a threesome with Bach and evanshinners...
I love it. Everyone needs to hear this shit, it will change your life.
The glory of God is upon us!!