Class act features Radiohead tunes
After recording and performing classical music for two decades, pianist Christopher O’Riley decided to try something new.
That’s when he ditched Beethoven and Stravinsky and switched to Radiohead.
On Sept. 8, O’Riley will be performing the alternative pop group’s music, along with other classic tunes both young and old at the Festival Concert Hall.
O’Riley’s first recording of Radiohead transcriptions, “True Love Waits,” was released in 2003 and became the only classical record to score four stars from Rolling Stone magazine. The success of the album led to another set of Radiohead songs two years later titled “Hold Me to This.”
After the release of “True Love Waits,” the doors opened wide for O’Riley.
In November 2004 he toured 10 cities with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, one of the most well-known orchestras in the world, playing the music of famous composers such as Bach, Mozart and Liszt.
Some of his most recent appearances have been with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the symphonies of Atlanta, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
O’Riley has also won awards in many international piano competitions for his playing.
Perhaps one of his biggest accomplishments is his radio show, “From the Top,” which is broadcasted around the country on National Public Radio. “From the Top” is currently the most-listened-to classical music radio show in the U.S.
The pianist describes himself as an “obsessed Radiohead fan” and has transcribed and recorded almost 30 of the band’s songs. Along with performing Radiohead’s music, he has also released a volume of songs arranged for the piano. O’Riley’s music focuses on a wide range of songs, not just the recognizable hits.
Earlier this year, O’Riley released “Home to Oblivion,” a piano tribute to Elliot Smith, an American singer/songwriter who died in 2003.
O’Riley is currently working on an album featuring the music of Nick Drake, a British folk singer who died in 1974 after releasing only three albums. Despite his short and modest career, Drake’s music inspired generations of songwriters after him.
O’Riley’s visit to Fargo is being held in conjunction with the Herd About the Prairie gala, where 38 of the 74 fiberglass bison scattered around Fargo will be available for auction at the Fargodome.
Tickets for the concert are $15 for students and can be purchased at the NDSU Fine Arts Box Office.