Crossover, in case you haven’t noticed, is hot. Once a low-risk, easy-profit cash cow that the big classical recording companies used to subsidize more serious projects, crossover has become a primary lifeline for those companies now that sales of classical recordings have flattened. Says Lisa Altman, senior vice president for crossover music at Universal (which includes the labels Philips, Decca and DG), “Crossover addresses the widest array of listener sensibilities. This is an ever-growing demographic because Boomers are looking for alternatives in the music they listen to.”
Is crossover — the name given a recording by a classical artist venturing into a non-classical area of music and aimed mainly at non-classical record buyers — a healthy means of bridging the gap between the classical and non-classical markets, or a crass ploy to kick new life into sagging sales? Is it creating new audiences for classical music, or merely fueling the demand for more crossover? In today’s anxious, Internet-battered market, nobody has any definitive answers.
Even so, there should always be a place for well-conceived crossover recordings by good musicians who genuinely believe in what they’re doing. “I don’t think crossover is going away at any time soon,” says Christopher Roberts, president of Universal Classics and Jazz.
To help readers navigate a fat field that seems to be growing fatter by the week, we offer the following, far-from-comprehensive profiles and ratings of crossover musicians who are doing their damndest to break down the great musical divide separating classical and pop.
Andrea Bocelli (star)(star) 1/2
Who he is: Blind, Tuscan tenor heartthrob, 45.
Appearing: 8 p.m. Friday at Allstate Arena, Rosemont, with orchestra conducted by Steven Mercurio ($50-$350; 847-635-6601, 312-559-1212).
Albums: He hopped aboard the crossover bandwagon in 1997 with fourth album, “Romanza,” which featured the hit “Time to Say Goodbye,” a duet with Sarah Brightman. His next album, “Sogno,” released in 1999, paired Bocelli and Celine Dion for “The Prayer.” To date, he has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
Straight dope: No crossover superstar is so cherished by the fans and so dissed by the critics, who see him as yet another example of the “Shine” mentality (Bocelli lost his vision during a childhood soccer accident). The voice is that of a superior wedding singer, not a concert or opera singer.
Dubious achievement: Bombed when he made his North American operatic debut in the title role of Massenet’s “Werther” with Detroit’s Michigan Opera Theater in 1999.
Number of “hits” obtained by entering artist’s name on google.com: 50,900.
Charlotte Church (star)(star)
Who she is: Cherub-faced Welsh warbler, 16. First discovered on a British TV talent show at age 11, she was speedily signed by Sony a year later and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide.
Albums: “Voice of an Angel,” “Charlotte Church” and “Dream a Dream” (Sony) all were platinum-sellers. Her video, “Charlotte Church in Jerusalem,” aired on PBS stations in 2001.
Straight dope: Her voice has a sweet, virginal quality, but the range is limited. Way limited for the classical greatest hits Sony has been pushing her into.
Dubious achievement: In 2002 received Britain’s Rear of the Year Award.
Internet “hits”: 464,000.
Vanessa-Mae (star)
Who she is: Doe-eyed half-Thai, half-Chinese British violinist, 24. A child prodigy who played her first concert with orchestra (the Philharmonia of London) when she was 10.
Albums: “Russian Album,” “Viennese Album,” “Virtuoso Album” (EMI).
Straight dope: Only a passable fiddle player. The question is why EMI has seen fit to put so much effort and money into promoting a musician so mediocre.
Dubious achievement: Cavorting in wet T-shirts on album covers.
Internet “hits”: 38,900.
Lara St. John (star)(star) 1/2
Who she is: Sex-kitten Canadian violinist, 31, who also maintains a serious concert career, making the rounds of major orchestras and festivals, including Ravinia.
Albums: Sony just signed her to an exclusive contract to record both classical repertoire and what the label calls “innovative classical,” including an album of Bach arrangements due for release this fall.
Straight dope: A more gifted version of Vanessa-Mae.
Dubious achievement: Her first disc, which contains Bach solo violin works, shows her apparently bare-chested, violin strategically placed.
Internet “hits”: 81,200.
Andre Rieu (star)(star)(star)
Who he is: Charismatic, shaggy-haired, 51-year-old Dutch fiddle player of Strauss waltzes, love songs and pop standards. His concert videos, in which he and his Johann Strauss Orchestra play for delirious hordes of European fans, have become a staple of public-TV pledge-week programming.
Albums: His first, “From Holland With Love,” released in 1994, triggered a waltz wave throughout Europe, received several gold and platinum discs and led to several other discs that have been almost as successful.
Straight dope: The violinist has a good gimmick — old chestnuts sugar-coated and tossed around to lilting three-quarter-time rhythms that make people want to get up and dance. Should still be around when some other crossover idols are only dim memories.
Internet “hits”: 16,000.
Bond (star)
Who they are: A quartet of female string players in their mid-20s, with model-caliber looks and rock-inspired attire. Call them the Spice Girls with Fiddles.
Albums: Decca’s release in England and the U.S. last fall of their first album, “Born,” kicked up a lot of media buzz. Featuring screechily amplified fiddles, viola and cello, “Born” is being marketed as a classical album but sounds like the kind of backup group you would hear on a rock album.
Straight dope: Not to be taken seriously.
Dubious achievement: A nude photo of the foursome has been widely circulated on the Internet. Decca officials said they were shocked that it “accidentally” made it to the Web. Yeah, right.
Internet “hits”: 5,690.
Russell Watson (star)(star) 1/2
Who he is: Billed as “the people’s tenor,” the hunky 27-year-old Brit has risen from humble working-class origins (he got his start singing in nightclubs) to challenge Andrea Bocelli as crossover’s leading tenor.
Albums: “The Voice” (Decca) has become the fastest-selling classical/pop recording in the U.K. ever, with worldwide sales of more than 11/2 million to date; the album also has held the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s classical crossover chart for 16 weeks. The followup disc, “Encore,” released this year, is moving up fast.
Straight dope: Watson’s tenor is agreeably reedy in timbre, his high notes secure (unlike Bocelli’s). One may predict that his lack of vocal training eventually will catch up with him. Meanwhile, his career can coast along on the strengths of his good looks, charm and anti-stuffy approach to classical music.
Dubious achievement: Official Web site features his crooning a rock-shlock ripoff of the “Va, pensiero” chorus from Verdi’s “Nabucco.”
Internet “hits”: 354,000.
The multiple-tenor groups
Who they are: The Three Tenors (star), The Irish Tenors (star)(star) 1/2, The Three Mo’ Tenors. (star)(star)(star)
Albums: The Decca album by T3T (Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti), based on their initial concert in Rome in 1990, became the best-selling classical album of all time, with several million in worldwide sales. The Irish Tenors’ CD (Mastertone) has gone gold in the U.S., and their PBS special was one of the most successful in public broadcasting history. RCA reports brisk sales for its “The Three Mo’ Tenors” album.
Straight dope: Artistically bankrupt years ago, T3T will sing their last medley June 27 during the World Cup games in Yokohama. Their Irish counterparts still dispense their sentimental ballads on the concert circuit and the tube. The Three Mo’ Tenors are fine entertainers, and their exuberant mix of classical, Broadway, jazz, blues and gospel should carry them far.
Internet “hits”: Three Tenors, 37,000. Irish Tenors: 13,700. 3 Mo’ Tenors: 3,430.
