PETER BREINER

PETER BREINER
AND HIS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
BEATLES GO BAROQUE (1992)
320 KBPS

This is the CD for serious listeners of classical music AND serious listeners of the Beatles. Where pops orchestras have failed, Peter Breiner succeeds. His arrangements of Beatles songs, rather than being simply rock band transcriptions for orchestra, are more like unique compositions based on Beatles themes.
Don't let the "looseness" of these arrangements scare you off, however. They are a good exercise for the ear -- can YOU pick out the melody among the busy melodic textures that are integral to Baroque music? With some pieces it's easier than others. The CD kicks off with an jaunty rendition of "She Loves You" that defies all other interpretations of it, orchestral or otherwise. From this point on you know you're in for a very different sort of Beatles trip.
The songs are wisely divided between fast and slow movements -- all of them being a treat for the ear. Among the best fast movements are robust renditions of "Help," "Lady Madonna," and a witty "Yellow Submarine." On the slow end of the spectrum, "And I Love Her" is supremely beautiful on violin, and "The Long and Winding Road" comes out so elegantly that it puts the original version of the song to shame. However, the cleverest track on the album has to be "Michelle." Taking the main theme of the song, Peter Breiner's orchestra creates a perfect FOUR-PART COUNTERPOINT! Of course, this technical term means little to most listeners, but it basically means that you have to hear "Michelle" to believe it.
The grouping of the songs into "Concerto Grosso" format is a clever touch, allowing listeners to see how the Beatles' music might have fit into a Baroque framework. Some might call it pretentious, but I call it good marketing. For serious fans of classical music, it shows that the arranger really knows what he's doing. The "styles" aren't exactly anything special; the Vivaldi one IS written as a violin concerto but there isn't much else to differentiate the various Concertos. Then again, does it really matter? This isn't about the great Baroque composers -- it's about the Beatles!

Beatles Concerto Grosso No. 1
(in the style of Haendel)
1. She Loves You
2. Lady Madonna
3. Fool on the Hill
4. Honey Pie
5. Penny Lane
Beatles Concerto Grosso No. 2
(in the style of Vivaldi)
6. A Hard Day's Night
7. Girl
8. And I Love Her
9. Paperback Writer
10. Help
Beatles Concerto Grosso No. 3
(in the style of J.S. Bach)
11. Long and Winding Road-Overture
12. Eight Days a Week-Rondreau
13. She's Leaving Home-Sarabande
14. We Can Wortk It Out-Bouree
15. Hey Jude-Polonaise
16. Yellow Submarine-Badinerie
Beatles Concerto Grosso No. 4
17. Here Comes the Sun
18. Michelle
19. Goodnight
20. Carry That Weight