Part virtuosos, part vixens.
That’s the formula behind Bond, an all-female British/Australian quartet that plays classical and classically influenced music. But they act and look more like sultry pop stars.
From posing for cheesecake photos to cavorting on stage, Bond is definitely not your dad’s string quartet.
“They’ve got a very fun, very engaging attitude,” said Anastasia Tsioulcas, the classical music columnist for Billboard Magazine. “It’s very much ‘Let’s introduce all of you to some good music’ rather than going for the core classical consumer.”
In Chicago last week as part of the group’s first American tour, the four women, all in their 20s, said they were having a blast.
“We just came over to test the waters,” violinist Haylie Ecker said. “It’s been really encouraging.”
The group’s name has a double meaning. It pays tribute to composer John Barry, whose work on several of the Bond movie soundtracks wowed group members Ecker, Eos Chater, Tania Davis and Gay-Yee Westerhoff. Band members say it also marks the close friendships among them.
In the glamor department, Bond’s members could compete favorably with the characters played by actresses from Ursula Andress to Halle Berry in the 007 films. And their music often proves as provocative as their dress style.
They play both traditional instruments and electronic versions that seem more sci-fi than Stradivarius. And they borrow musical influences from all over the spectrum to complement the zing in their strings. A little samba here. An African drum track there. Some disco flavoring on another tune.
“We’re like a Rubik’s cube,” Westerhoff said.
“The music is really eclectic and I think there’s something in it for everyone,” Ecker added.
Of course, Bond isn’t the first to use sex appeal to sell classical and classical-crossover music.
“It’s a longstanding if not entirely noble trend,” columnist Tsioulcas added. “Even in the 19th Century, Franz Liszt and [Frederic] Chopin among others were kind of marketed on their ability to make the ladies swoon.”
But using sex appeal in classical music has evolved. Tsioulcas cites performers like violinists Vanessa-Mae and Lara St. John as being among those who do. St. John caused a stir when she posed topless for her 1996 CD “Bach Works for Solo Violin,” covering her breasts with her violin.
Such approaches may be necessary to broaden the appeal of classical music to a younger generation, said Alan Fletcher, head of the school of music at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
For their part, members of Bond say they consider themselves more a pop group and play on their sex appeal just like any other in that genre.
But then again, not too many pop acts are classically trained. Or host classical-music award shows. Or write music inspired by a melody from the ballet “Swan Lake.”
“It sort of speaks for itself that we can play and it’s just an added advantage that we’re four girls,” said violinist Chater.
“Otherwise, we’d have been exposed like Milli Vanilli,” added Westerhoff, the group’s cellist.
Instead, Bond exposed a sold-out crowd at the Park West to its music.
“We’re Bond, and we’re looking forward to serenading you this evening,” Ecker said, with her Australian accent.
Bond members came on stage showing plenty of cleavage and wearing the mini-est of miniskirts. They danced during some songs, albeit Ecker seemed enraptured as she played the violin.
And many audience members, with their bravos and applause, clearly felt the same.
Steve Pigg, 36, drove from St. Louis to hear Bond and found the concert well worth the trip. He said wherever he goes, he has one of the group’s CDs with him. “I like the mix of the music, their energy, their overall talent,” Pigg said. “I actually heard their music before I saw what they looked like. That was just icing on the cake.”
Or the cheesecake, as the case may be.
