„The Queen Symphony“

The Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra and maestro Gintaras Rinkevičius present a unique, theatrical work “The Queen Symphony” by the British composer of Turkish origin Tolga Kashif (b. 1962), which combines the works and symphonic music of the legendary group “Queen”. “I wanted to reveal the original essence of this great music. I wanted to create more than just orchestration, and I discovered that an integral part of Queen’s music is the language of the modern classical genre, ”says Kashif. According to the legendary guitarist of the band “Queen” Briano May, “The Queen Symphony” is the work of a person with a new attitude and unique thinking. “I am convinced that this work, like other things related to the Queen, can cause a negative reaction. He breaks most of the rules of the symphonic form. But I am also convinced that this symphony will become an immortal favorite of the orchestra’s repertoire, because it will always gather full concert halls, “says B. May.

The members of the group did not participate in the process of composing T. Kashif’s symphony, leaving the composer complete creative freedom. Although the symphony’s musical fabric uses the band’s most famous songs, some of them will be difficult to recognize even for the biggest fans of Queen’s music. “Anyone who hopes to hear simply arranged Queen songs will be the least shocked,” said Queen May guitarist B. May after the symphony’s first auditions. Kashif emphasizes that Queen’s music is a valuable fabric for an academic music composer – Queen was part of a new radical wave that challenged all popular music. She embodied the original artistic expression we hear in the band’s scrupulously performed recordings and concerts. Today, The Queen Symphony is performed all over the world, and its recording remains one of the most popular in the lists of European, American and Asian classical music. The theatricality and sensuality of the Queen complicates the sound of the symphony, we seem to hear behind the scenes of the pompous Freddy Mercury theater.