Bond

Bond

MEET THE NEW BOND GIRLS
Classical-Crossover's Controversial Foursome Defend Their Debut
Tania, Haylie, Eos, and Gay-Yee -- two Australians and two Brits -- comprise the twentysomething membership of the music world's newest string quartet, Bond. And the youthful group, who have been dubbed classical music's answer to the Spice Girls, are spreading their unique blend of classical instrumentation and pop music styles around the globe. Banned from the British classical charts, Bond's debut album, Born, now arrives on the American scene. Barnes & Noble.com's EJ Johnson talked to the Australian half of the photogenic foursome, Haylie and Tania, about their first album and their distinct brand of music making.

Barnes & Noble.com: Your CD, Born, is being marketed as classical crossover. But do you see yourselves as more of a pop phenomenon, or do you really think Born belongs on the classical shelves in record stores?

Haylie: I think it belongs in both places. It's classically influenced. We're a string quartet, and the music that we play is original even though the motives are taken from well-known classical works. There is a place for it in the classical market, even though I wouldn't say it's strictly classical, because it's not. But I think there's a place for it in the pop market as well, because there are definitely strong pop elements in our music. It's kind of hard to classify what it is. "Classical crossover" is actually such a broad term, anyway. We were actually thrown out of the classical charts in the UK. I don't know if you heard about that.

B&N.com: Yes. What was your reaction to that? Did you think that was wrong?

Tania: We did actually feel it was unfair, especially considering the content of the classical chart that they have in the UK. It's full of a lot of crossover groups. There's CDs like Pavarotti and Friends, which is with U2 and Aqua and Savage Garden. We certainly felt we deserved to be there, but, ultimately, it was something the record stores didn't take any notice of, and they kept us in their own individual classical charts. Everywhere else in Europe, Born has been in both the pop and the classical charts. It ended up being a lot of publicity, [laughs] and it turned out to be not so bad in the end. But we certainly feel we have a place in both charts, and that's what's happened, everywhere apart from the UK.

B&N.com: What would you say Bond is modeled after; or do you feel you're breaking new ground?

Tania: I feel we are breaking new ground, actually. Nothing, as far as I know, has been done like this before with a string quartet. I think we've brought a lot people to the classics that maybe weren't so interested or maybe felt a bit intimidated by it. I know that we tend to have a lot of little children writing to us, saying they're taking up an instrument, or people writing in saying that they've found a way into classical music through going to the classical section of the store to buy our CD and then maybe buying some other CD while they're there. And so that way, yeah, I think it is groundbreaking, because it is something that is so new.

B&N.com: Does each of you have conservatory training?

Tania: Oh, yeah. Two of us have first-class honors degrees. We've got postgraduate diplomas, and throughout the group we've pretty much all studied since we were about five years old.

B&N.com: So what do your teachers think of what you're playing now?

Haylie: My teacher, he's encouraging, as long as I keep my other stuff up as well. I'm doing that.

Tania: Well, [laughs] my teacher actually thinks it's great. He thinks it's funny. I mean, we've done some extremely funny things that I'd never imagine myself doing. We played in Berlin, for example, on New Year's Eve, in minus five degrees freezing temperatures at midnight for about three million drunk Germans letting off fireworks, and I've never been so cold in my life. We've done things like the Jerry Springer Show in the UK, and Miss World. And so, yeah, there's been some bizarre things. A lot of my friends who are working as classical professionals think it's such a laugh, and they'd love to be doing this kind of thing.

B&N.com: What audience do you hope to appeal to?

Tania: We actually haven't given it a lot of thought. In Sweden our main market is young, teenage girls. In other countries our web site seems to be full of messages from men. [laughs] I'm not really sure, actually. I mean, we did a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in September, and it seemed a pretty mixed bag -- younger people, older people, and little children. I think it's got a broad-based appeal, really.

B&N.com: Does Bond have a role model?

Haylie: I respect Nigel Kennedy a lot. I think what he does is really good because he's making the music that he's doing accessible to people -- they don't feel intimidated by it. I went to a concert of his once, and the audience was quite young, and he walked onstage and said, "Hey guys. How you doing? Going to play a bit of Bach." And everyone cheered. I think that's a really positive way forward.

B&N.com: Speaking of Kennedy, what do you think of so-called classical music sex symbols? Linda Brava is another example. Do you admire them?

Haylie: That's really funny. My background was actually the same as Linda's was. I know her. She's trained as a classical musician. I think Anne-Sophie Mutter's an incredible player. I love her. She's just done a cycle of the Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano, and her interpretation of that with Lambert Orkis was completely off the wall.

Tania: I admire Kennedy because I think he has such substance. There's obviously a certain marketing that goes with Nigel Kennedy, but he's such a versatile and fantastic performer. You go to a concert of his and it's just amazing. We always get asked about marketing, the fact that we're four girls, and we have glamorous photos and stuff. But I guess it's the case that there's so much that is marketed today, like politicians are groomed. People who are in the public eye have to have some sort of image that's coming across to reach an audience, and ultimately, I guess, to keep that audience you have to have something behind it.

B&N.com: Do you have any desire to go back to chamber music, to play Mozart and Beethoven, or does traditional classical music not appeal anymore after all the excitement with Bond?

Tania: No, not at all. It's just such different experience. For me, doing one of our concerts, where you walk out and there's people screaming and clapping and dancing all the way through, actually puts you on a real high because you're getting that instant response. But with classical music, it's such an inner thing. It's a satisfaction on a different level. It was my first love; it's what I've done, and I'm still doing it. I often get together with friends and read through chamber music, and even with Bond, we've had our go at some Brahms quartets as well. It's still a part of my life, and it always will be. This is just something a bit different.

Haylie: I still do it. I absolutely love classical music. It's my passion. I've got a concert at the end of June with the Luxembourg Philharmonic doing the Kachaturian Violin Concerto. Yeah, I don't know what the future holds. It's kind of hard to tell. I guess just living for the moment, but making sure that everything stays fresh.

February 2, 2001 EJ Johnson