The Christmas Album—Opus 216 (Opus 216 10324)
Hot off the presses is this just-in-time release from the NE Ohio consortium of musicians called Opus 216. Founded in 2012 by violinist Ariel Karas, the group plays a wide variety of musical genres in a wider variety of venues. These conservatory-trained pros have mastered everything from classical to French café jazz, Top 40, hip hop, South American and midcentury American jazz, Irish and American fiddle, original music, and improvisation. Opus 216 musicians have played with major orchestras in Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and more, as well as with artists like John Legend, Michael Bublé, Brian Wilson, and Andrea Bocelli. The Christmas Album was recorded in a single afternoon at Heights Theater, and the songs were arranged somewhat spontaneously for string quartet. In a blog post about the album, Karas writes: “When it comes to arranging/creating scores from familiar tunes, we usually work from lead sheets or piano-vocal scores, and just try to keep it interesting. I’m really so impressed with Trevor [Kazanan] and Brian [Slawta]’s creativity in particular - I might end up with lead melodies a majority of the time, but it’s honestly the unique textures they find that always make these familiar covers feel fresh and beautiful…We recorded at Joel [Negus]’s fantastic studio (complete with a couple of visits by the Cleveland Heights fire department (lol). And, like our debut album, every track was done in 1-3 takes… not exactly conventional recording etiquette, but somehow befitting our fast-paced performance life.” This album is a great way to add some spontaneity and charm to your holiday season! When you support WCLV with a gift of $10/month or a one-time gift of $120, we’d be delighted to thank you with a copy of The Christmas Album, complete with custom artwork and message of thanks from Ariel. Just go to wclv.org/donate or call 844-903-9903.