Violinist Guy Braunstein has a deep connection with The Beatles, whose music has significantly influenced his musical journey alongside classical greats like Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky, as well as artists such as Ray Charles and Billy Joel. Braunstein, who doesn’t differentiate much between genres, sees only great music.
Braunstein’s “Abbey Road Concerto,” inspired by The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album, came to life during the Covid-19 pandemic. His son, a fervent Beatles fan, had been urging him to arrange songs from the album. The lockdown provided Braunstein the time to listen to “Abbey Road” in full, and the idea of a violin concerto emerged.
Braunstein’s process involved selecting eleven songs from the album, arranging them for violin and piano, composing an overture, and creating interludes to connect the pieces into two major movements, including a significant cadenza. After testing the arrangement with his pianist, he orchestrated the entire piece. The pandemic allowed him to complete this work within a few months.
The concerto was recorded with Braunstein’s long-time friend and collaborator, conductor Alondra de la Parra, in the historic Liège Philharmonic Hall, home of the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. De la Parra, a fellow Beatles enthusiast, was Braunstein’s top choice for this project due to her deep musical understanding and connection with him.
Braunstein emphasizes that his “Abbey Road Concerto” is not a crossover piece but a virtuoso classical composition in the tradition of Paganini. He aims to capture the essence of “Abbey Road” and translate it into his own musical language. The concerto demands significant technical skill, akin to the challenges of performing Sibelius or Tchaikovsky concertos.
The Beatles’ music inspires Braunstein due to its timeless qualities—its ideas, harmonies, and rhythms remain compelling and ever-relevant. He believes his concerto could help orchestras and concert promoters attract younger audiences and break away from repeatedly programming the same few classical concertos.
Braunstein also discusses the significance of Abbey Road Studios, where works on his new album were first recorded. His album pairs his concerto with Delius’s Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s “The Lark Ascending,” pieces that were also first recorded at Abbey Road Studios, creating a unique historical connection.
For the recording, Braunstein played a Francesco Rugieri violin from 1679, an instrument he instantly connected with despite the usual lengthy process of selecting a violin. His bow, made by American bow maker Lee Guthrie, outperformed even the expensive old French bows used by his colleagues in the Berlin Philharmonic, producing the best sound for him.
