Classical Music as Soul Food: Qwest TV’s Globetrotting Classical Music Month Focuses on the Best, from Opera to Orchestras

In welcoming Classical Music Month, Qwest TV is celebrating classical music in all its bold colors this September. 

Qwest TV’s co-founder, Quincy Jones, is sharing his boundary-breaking outlook and lifelong love of classical music through 5 Qwest TV Originals in collaboration with the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, including classics like La Traviata and Così Fan Tutti, as well as three new orchestral programs from the opera’s symphony. Qwest TV is also highlighting its first special guest curator from the classical world, South African opera superstar Pretty Yende, an interview with whom is also featured exclusively in Qwest TV’s 12 Qwestions series.  

This special focus provides the perfect opportunity to dive into Qwest TV’s classical music content, including playlists built on the world’s best orchestras (like this tribute to the symphony) and cross pollinations between classical, jazz, and global music (find the latest releases here). 

Quincy Jones notes: “When my partners and I founded Qwest TV, all we really wanted was to create a community for all things jazz and beyond. From hip-hop to dance, to funk and electro, to RnB and of course, classical music!” So, it makes my soul smile to share some exclusive, top-of-the-top content filmed this year at the great Opera Royal de Wallonie, in Belgium—one of the main lyrical stages in Europe. And Qwest TV subscribers and lovers now have access to content from artists such as Pablo Arrivabeni, Christophe Rousset, and Daniel Oren! Big-time love and props to Opera Royal de Wallonie!”

For Qwest TV, curation isn't bound by genre or geography, and exploration is the key to a rich user experience. “We remove the cultural boundaries that exist between different music types and encourage engagement beyond borders and restrictive taste parameters,” explains Qwest TV co-founder and CEO Reza Ackbaraly. “There are so many stunning examples of cross pollination: Toumani Diabate plays classical music with his Symmetric Orchestra in Mali. Indian raga is just as sophisticated as the Western repertoire and has influenced a generation of contemporary composers in America and Europe. Many jazz greats started in classical music, like Friedrich Gulda, and are heavily influenced by it throughout their careers.

At Qwest TV, Classical Music Month is all about unpacking assumptions and broadening taste horizons. Jones himself undertook a long journey to explore the possibilities of classical music, a genre that was closed off to him as a black artist and arranger in the US. With doors closed at home he headed to France to study with the incomparable Nadia Boulanger. Jones recalls, “Nadia Boulanger used to tell me ‘Quincy, there’s only 12 notes and until we get to 13 notes, Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Bird, Basie … all used the same notes.” Jones took these words to heart and incorporated classical technique into his work, including on hit pop records.

Qwest TV is now opening up the world’s symphony halls and opera houses to new audiences. As Pretty Yende passionately insisted in a recent exclusive interview for Qwest TV, the coolness and soulfulness of the classical repertoire needs exposure in new places. “More platforms have to give a chance to opera like they do for pop or rock or even soccer. They need to open that door for the kids to know that it’s not just an exclusive, old-fashioned art form...No, it’s so cool! Opera is super cool! If you don’t listen to it, you are missing out. As the Americans might say, ‘it’s soul food,’ it really really is.”

Qwest TV

Qwest TV (qwest.tv) is a celebration of unique talents, traditions, and rhythms. With more than a thousand experiences on offer, the video streaming service strives to be the world’s home for jazz, soul, funk, classical, electronic and global music, from India to Africa and everywhere in between. Co-founded and curated by Quincy Jones and a series of legends and music lovers, the channel preserves the richness of history while reflecting the present-day beauty and reality of culturally and racially diverse people. 

Qwest TV + September New Releases in Classical and Dance

Czech Philharmonic: Simon Rattle With Magdalena Kozena & Simon O’Neill
Mahler Symphony No. 9 - Semyon Bychkov, Czech Philharmonic
Nelsons Gewandhaus Leipzig / Dvorak 9
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 - Yannick Nézét-Seguin, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov: Berio and Dvorak - Czech Philharmonic
Vasily Petrenko Conducts The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: Dvorak, Beethoven
Fabio Luisi: Mahler - The Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Antonio Gades: Suite Flamenca - Teatro Real
Antonio Gades: Fuenteovejuna - Teatro Real
 
All new releases seen here.

Qwest TV Classical Live Channel highlights: September 

Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata Royal Opera of Wallonia Liège - 25/09/2021
Hervé Koubi What the Day Owes to the Night - 30/09/2021

All September primetimes can be seen here