This year, singer Rufus Wainwright released an album of Shakespeare’s sonnets on Universal’s classical music label Deustche Grammophon, timed according to the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death 400 years ago. The album, called Take All My Loves, features several vocalists and actors, including Helena Bonham Carter, William Shatner, and Florence Welch. The music combines elements of classical and pop, and the sonnets, especially the lead song, “A Woman’s Face,” touch on the theory of Shakespeare’s possible bisexuality. Wainwright wanted to offer an album that presents the beauty of the centuries-old literature through gorgeous music, all while offering an opportunity to discuss gender and sexuality in today’s world.
0 Comments
Former Universal Music Group president Christopher (Chris) Roberts leads Robisong Consultants as president and CEO. During his time with Universal Music, Christopher Roberts worked as an executive producer on a number of albums, including the original cast recording for the popular Broadway play Wicked. The album is the 2005 Grammy winner for Best Musical Show Album. An extremely successful Broadway play, Wicked serves as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and details the early lives of the wicked witch Elphaba and the good witch Glinda. The original cast featured on the 2005 soundtrack includes Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Joel Grey as the Wizard. A fifth-anniversary special edition of the soundtrack included a bonus CD with Japanese and German cast recordings of popular songs from the play, a dance remix of “Defying Gravity,” and a recording of “Making Good,” an original song that was omitted from the play. The original soundtrack has reached double platinum status in the United States, having sold 2,439,000 copies as of February 2014. After studying music and German literature at Lewis & Clark College, Christopher Roberts moved to Germany and started composing and songwriting. Christopher Roberts adopted a style that combined pop, jazz, and classical training and wrote and produced music for German television and film programs.
Usually production music writers have a decently equipped home recording studio with the ability to compose music that can be sold and licensed to TV networks or advertising agencies. Agencies have a constant need for music of all kinds to go along with TV and radio commercials, so they are always looking for fresh tunes in production music libraries. After writing a musical score, a successful music composer must be able to record and mix it. Most agencies require broadcast-quality deliverables of a specified length and in a particular format. Although a formal education in music often proves helpful in this profession, music production writers just need the three basic abilities of writing, recording, and mixing music well. Christopher “Chris” Roberts has worked in the music industry for more than 30 years, and during the majority of that time he has served as the head of Universal Music Group’s Classics and Jazz division. A lifelong supporter of the musical arts, Christopher Roberts sits on The Gilmore’s Artistic Advisory Committee in addition to his work at Universal Music Group, and he participates in the selection of recipients of the organization’s Artist Award. Piano students enjoyed a special event hosted by the Gilmore this spring - the annual Gilmore KeysFest, held this year on February 20, 2016. The daylong festival is designed to support the musical interest of students in grades 1 to 12. All skill levels are invited to participate. The event is set up like a master class, and each student benefits from one-on-one instruction from professional pianists. The children play before a small audience of supportive students and adults. The public is invited to attend. Students participating in KeysFest bring their own music selection and prepare it for performance with the help of a teacher, or “clinician.” Among the clinician’s for this year were Dr. Lia Jensen-Abbott, Jeanne Hanley Thelen, Dr. Derek Polishchuk, Eric Van De Vort, and Dr. Zhihua Tang. Jeremy Siskind attended the event as a special guest clinician. A former president at Universal Music Group, Christopher Roberts propelled the company’s Classics and Jazz Division to new heights. One of the many careers to which Christopher Roberts contributed during his time at Universal Music is that of Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang. Born in China, Lang Lang, is an internationally known pianist who has performed throughout Europe, China, and the United States. He says that his first inspiration to become a pianist was an episode of Tom and Jerry, “The Cat Concerto,” that he saw when he was only 2 years old. At 15, with multiple awards already under his belt, Lang Lang began studying piano under Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Lang Lang has received much critical acclaim throughout his career, and he has played in prestigious events including a concert at the 2014 World Cup and the 56th and 57th Grammy Awards. In 2008, Lang Lang published an autobiography titled Journey of a Thousand Miles, which has been published in 11 languages; he also adapted it for younger readers under the title Playing with Flying Keys. Christopher (Chris) Roberts, a former executive at Universal Music Group, now serves as the president and chief executive officer of the music consulting firm Robisong Consultants. Beyond his experience at Universal Music, Christopher Roberts brings to his current role a degree in musicology and German literature from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. At the most basic level, musicology involves the academic and scientific study of music. In addition to investigating various forms of music and the evolution of music notation throughout time, musicologists often focus their studies on specific musical instruments, music theory, and the lives of composers and musicians. Musicology can also involve the study of how people perceive music, as well as its impact on the listener. In the late 1950s, a field known as ethnomusicology began to splinter off from musicology. While musicology deals primarily with the development of music over time, ethnomusicology focuses more on music within a specific culture. For example, musicologists may look closely at a musical artifact, while ethnomusicologists may attempt to understand the cultural influences that created the artifact in the first place. Christopher Roberts, former president of Universal Music Group’s Classics and Jazz division, has 30 years of experience in the music industry. During his time with Universal Music and other industry organizations, Chris Roberts has helped shape the careers of artists such as Cecilia Bartoli, a mezzo-soprano opera singer. Any classically trained female singer with a vocal range registering between the soprano and contralto voice types is considered a mezzo-soprano vocalist, or simply a mezzo. Such a range extends from the A note found below the middle C to the same A note two octaves higher. The general mezzo vocal range is an approximation, however, as individual mezzo-soprano vocalists may be capable of notes as low as the F below middle C and as high as the high C. To distinguish between different vocal types, a mezzo may be further categorized as a coloratura mezzo, a lyric mezzo, or dramatic mezzo soprano. For years, Christopher Roberts has ranked among the leading executives in the recording industry, in part thanks to his innovations as president of Universal Music Group’s Classics and Jazz Division. Before he left Universal Music to develop Robisong Consultants, he directed the operations of iconic labels that included Deutsche Grammophon, Verve, and Decca. During this time, Christopher Roberts executive-produced or supported the production of pioneering albums showcasing the talent of artists such as Renee Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, and Andrea Bocelli. Furthermore, Roberts’ work with pop stars Sting and Elvis Costello resulted in successful crossover albums that remain popular.
Costello’s mature career features several examples in the classical idiom, including his dramatic orchestral score for Il Sogno, issued in 2004. Costello also wrote songs and produced a rock crossover album for mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter on Deutsche Grammophon, entitled For the Stars. But his most enduring classical work may be The Juliet Letters, on which he collaborated with the Brodsky String Quartet after discovering their mutual musical admiration. On The Juliet Letters, based on the Shakespeare character, Costello performs his own compositions and others crafted by members of the quartet. Christopher Roberts, president of Universal Music Group’s Classics and Jazz division, is known for having modernized the way the classical music business operates. Over his 30-year career, Universal Music’s Chris Roberts has kept classical recordings relevant by updating their labels with more modern and visually appealing aesthetics.
While the intensity of running a music business is enough to keep Mr. Roberts occupied, he recently began composing and arranging music again. His 2013 release, called “A Different Place, A Different Time” was his first attempt at producing his own album after focusing on the business side of music for 15 years. The classical album includes works derived from his long-time collaborative relationship with musician Jeff Leonard. One of the featured songs was written about Mr. Roberts' daughter Madeleine called “Madeleine’s Lullaby,” with Mr. Leonard contributing the bridge. Rounding out the album is a new composition based on Mozart’s Piano Concerto #23. |
AuthorNavigating an illustrious career through a tumultuous period in the music industry, Christopher Roberts provided visionary leadership for the world’s largest recording company. Archives
May 2017
Categories
All
|