THE DARK TENOR: Interview on the occasion of the 10th anniversary

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

Bach as a classical rocker, Beethoven as a heavy metal musician and Mozart as a popper – these masters of classical music can only be brought into the modern age in this way by someone who really knows his stuff: The Dark Tenor aka Billy Andrews. We talk to the likeable musician about music of the future and take a look back on the occasion of his tenth anniversary.

The flight of bumblebees and other surprises

Orkus: The “Symphony of Light” tour is coming up soon. How can we imagine the preparations?
Billy Andrews: For the most part, I’m just finalizing the setlist. There’s a whole bunch of new songs that need to be played and it’s important to present them in a cool and beautiful way. In my tenth year, I’m slowly getting to the point where I don’t really know what to throw out of the set because there’s now so much material that the fans love. And there are also favorites of mine that I’ve taken out of the set to put in new songs. There are also lots of “rock meets classical” surprises in the show, which, in addition to new songs, also take a completely new approach to classical themes, such as “Hummelflug”, which is musically a bit more challenging. In the live show, this will also result in a battle between the 3D printed cello and the electric guitar. We are currently developing stories like this. It will definitely be very complex for all of us on stage because we have to use our brains, but there will be lots of interesting surprises.

O: At least 17 of 37 concerts are already sold out … and many others are almost sold out. How does that feel for you? That you can reach so many people with what you love and believe in?
BA: I’m really happy that there are so many people who want to get to know classical music from a new angle or who came across classical music in the first place. I hope I can reach even more people as my mission is to make classical music accessible to everyone and show that it’s an awesome genre and that Mozart, Beethoven and Bach were the rockers, poppers and punks of their own time.

Live!

O: Will there also be completely new songs to listen to? Rumor has it that your next album is already finished?
BA: (laughs) I feel really happy and I’m really looking forward to this new album, which will be called “Symphony of Light II” because it follows on from the debut album “Symphony of Light” ten years ago. So I’m really looking forward to playing the songs on this increasingly sold-out tour. A few concerts still have tickets available.

You can find the concert dates at the end of the interview.

Classical music for everyone?

O: Your premise has always been to bring people closer to classical music without this “elitist touch”. Do you remember when you came up with this idea?
BA: There was a situation when I sang in the Semperoper choir in Dresden. It was a performance of “Lohengrin”. I was 22 years old at the time – around 22 years ago – and that was the first time I realized that classical music had a problem with public relations work with young people. That has changed in the meantime, there are many new projects and initiatives for children and young people. It was a very traditional, conservative production of this Wagner opera. Lohengrin strides very slowly down from his swan. At one point or another during a performance, he may have stumbled over the pulley that held the wings together. I looked into the audience and the choir around me. I wouldn’t have seen myself in this choir 22 years later in the position I’m in now, nor in the situation of performing a repertoire piece like “Lohengrin” again and again in this way and hoping that someone will still be interested in it in 20 years’ time and that people will grow up to watch these pieces. I thought: there has to be another way! And it didn’t take me that long to leave the opera. I was only there for two years, before that I was in the Dresden Kreuzchor and did a lot of classical music there, but after that I started doing other jobs.

Career

O: What did you do then?
BA: I played in my own rock band and wrote a lot of bad songs that nobody wanted to hear. Until this question, which you think nobody would ever ask you, came from a representative of a major record company. I wasn’t under contract at the time and this man, completely drunk, said: “Yes Billy, anyone can rock, but think about where you’re from.” And that was the moment when I drove home at three or four o’clock that night here in Pankow and reflected on where I actually come from and what I am.

O: What period of time are we talking about?
BA: From the journey between quitting the Semperoper to the actual idea was another ten years. But it took this development: writing my own songs, not doing classical music for ten years … I had really put classical music aside because it was my life every day until I turned 23. I needed those ten years in between to develop myself further in another area. And also to take a look at other genres.

Outlook for the future

Orkus: 3D printing of musical instruments was already a big topic in our last interview in 2021. What has happened since then?
BA: The world’s first 3D printed cello has now been created. It not only comes out of the printer, but can also light up. It has already traveled all over the world: be it by air, land or sea. Since then, it has always been part of the show and is intended to arouse curiosity about classical instruments in the broadest sense. We use a new material and LED lighting to literally illuminate classical instruments from a different angle. The topic of 3D printing for violins is one that I always try to push forward when I have time. It is possible to print violins in schools in a decentralized way. If a school has a 3D printer – and there are already many that do – it is possible to print out a violin in around ten hours, put it together and then play it. I would also like this to be available on a non-profit basis, so that schools can access the samples digitally and then print them according to their own requirements.

Review

O: From the future, let’s turn to the past. You started out with a major label behind you and wearing a mask, so your identity was unknown for a long time. How do you feel when you think back to “back then” with your current experience?
BA: It was a totally exciting time, I had a lot of fun developing this character The Dark Tenor, trying out a billion costume pieces. Also working out the artistic side with the first album and working a bit more in the area of film music – we were working more spherically back then and creating a cinematic bombast sound. I get comments from time to time: “Yes, now you’re finally yourself and don’t have to pretend.” Friends have also liked to say that in the past and asked me if I even like doing it. I then replied: “But why? I developed it myself.” I think that’s totally cool. I really enjoyed doing what we did in the opera with the dressing up and the costumes, going on stage and portraying something else, playing a role. And the development of the character The Dark Tenor to the second album “Nightfall Symphony”, where there was already a partial unmasking, to the third album, where there was no more mask, but everything was more mystical. Until the mask no longer played a role at all in the pandemic. Why should I do live streams from home wearing a mask to show that classical music is cool? This led to a very intimate relationship with The Dark Tenor community and it really grew so well and beautifully together that I kept following my intuition. The mask reappeared in 2022 on the first big tour and then no longer played a role. The Dark Tenor is now “rock meets classical”. And that’s exactly where the 10th anniversary album cuts in, but also the upcoming album, which will be released on December 6, and there will be a single every month before that.

10 years!

O: You just mentioned it: On the occasion of your tenth anniversary, the live album “Alive 10 Years” came out recently. I’m thinking of “Indestructible” as an example. Like many of your songs, it conveys a positive message of not letting yourself get down. To what extent is that also your life motto in a way?
BA: Yes, it really is. I’m sure everyone has been in a situation at some point where they’ve said: “Wow, that’s enough now, I’ve had enough, I’m going to stop, it’s too exhausting. The mountain is far too high to climb, I’ll never make it.” – I’ve had moments like that too. Especially during the pandemic or in the last 15 months, when it was about getting out of this time and trying to create something that really sticks. You write a song and naturally the things that you hold in your heart as beliefs happen. Songs like “Indestructible” or “Invincible”, and also on the new record, are songs that emphasize the affirmation of life. But also, for example, the fear of missing out on things. I’ve completely put that to one side. I don’t have the urge to have to do things because I know that we can still do them later. The last few months have been very instructive for me, especially when you have your own record company and your own touring business and do the events yourself. At the end of the day, it always goes on. That’s the lesson.

Against everyone?

O: Of course, the song that the record company didn’t want to release is also a nice hook. Why not? In their opinion, what’s wrong with “Darker Hearts”?
BA: Everything is right with “Darker Hearts”. (laughs) Sometimes there’s just something wrong with the decision-makers. That doesn’t even have to mean anything, it can sometimes be a personal aspect, maybe someone has a headache at the table. Most of the time a decision doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with whether music is good or not, but how things are seen. I’ve seen things differently and guessed that people might want to hear it. I’m definitely not always right, but my intuition isn’t all that bad. No record company wanted to release “Darker Hearts” back then. Universal, the biggest record company in the world, was against it. My producer was against it. And I said: “Why is that? It’s great, why don’t you release it, make it a single!” I then released it with my own label and it’s now a popular song with fans. You’re not immune to other people’s mistakes. Everything has its time. A good song doesn’t go bad. It needs the right moment.

Overwhelming?

O: There’s also a video of “Ode to Joy” on your website. Maybe I’m too close to the water, but I find it overwhelming just as a spectator when the whole audience sings along. How do you feel about that?
BA: I think that’s great. Not because it would honor me, but because everyone knows this text and because it is an absolute moment of unity. Everyone embodies a message in this moment that has to do with empathy and love. In a world where only negative messages are actually given any real weight and are heard, I always find it wonderful to see that a positive message or a positive song like “Ode to Joy” can be sung along so overwhelmingly and with such confidence by the audience. As an artist, you really do become a little dull at some point.

Touching?

O: Really? When was the last time something moved you to tears?
BA: There was a moment when even I was in tears. It was in the Philharmonie in Berlin on January 6, 2024. We just started singing the song and the audience started singing. That concert in itself was very special for me and moved me to tears. I thought: “Wow, what’s happening here?” and looked at my musicians and they were also moved to tears, looked around and no one could really believe what was happening. I never thought that the Philharmonie Berlin would be so full. That was a very special moment for me. “Ode to Joy” is always the very last song of the show because it radiates so much positive energy.

What does classic mean?

O: “Ode to Joy” segues into Depeche Mode’s “All I Ever Wanted” … How do you feel about Depeche Mode?
BA: I’ve always found Depeche Mode interesting. I’ve also seen them live and they’re always gigantic. That’s why Depeche Mode was included in this mash-up for “Ode to Joy”. The question I ask before “Ode to Joy” is: “What is classical music?” Is classical music something composed by someone who died several hundred years ago? Or – and then the conclusion is perhaps something by Depeche Mode or Metallica – the classical music of our time in 100 years’ time? Because these composers also wrote melodies that will stand the test of time. And several generations. In our case, that’s already the case. So I send people home to think about it again. What does classical music mean? Not as a genre, but as a work.

Mysticism and darkness

O: What is your personal approach to the “black scene”?
BA: The mystical and dark is a fascinating world. I still find everything that happens there extremely interesting. Whether it’s the costumes you see at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig. I find it fascinating how people dedicate themselves to music and subculture. It’s all very boring in the pop world, where you put on a Taylor Swift T-shirt and are happy to see someone standing there playing an acoustic guitar. But basically there’s a bit of a lack of culture: the inventiveness that gothic has in terms of the acts that go on stage, whether they’re wearing masks, costumes, whether they look medieval and have a gothic charm and so on. It’s so diverse that you can discover so much. I find that totally exciting. My music has moved away from this gothic world somewhat. Nevertheless, it also plays with spherical worlds. Also on the new album: with orchestral arrangements, with deep vocals that are a bit more mysterious. I can imagine that one or two people who are normally into gothic music will be surprised that they like my music. That’s why. I can only recommend it: Have a listen. (smiles)

O: If you keep mentioning the new album discreetly: “Alive 10 Years” also has the bonus track “Colors”. Musically, it’s more in the electronic direction. Can we expect the same from the new album “Symphony of Light II”?
BA: Yes, there is. There are also electro moments on the album that work with these deep basses. But the new album actually steers more towards the guitar on stage. The very first single in particular, which again has Beethoven as its theme, definitely comes around the corner with a bit more guitar instrumentation to expand this “rock meets classical” a bit further.

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Finally, Billy reveals that the music for “Symphony of Lights II” has long been finished and that the album cover is currently being finalized. We hope to speak to him again in peace and quiet before the release in December. Until then, it’s time to experience The Dark Tenor live:

August 31, 2024 Dinslaken, Summer Culture Burgtheater
September 19, 2024 Berlin, Theater am Potsdamer Platz
September 20 Coburg, Kongresshaus Rosengarten
September 21 Heidenheim, Congress Centrum
September 22, 2024 Kassel, Kongress Palais
September 24, 2024 Halle, Steintor Varieté
September 25, 2024 Dresden, Alter Schlachthof
October 01, 2024 Worms, The Wormser
October 02, 2024 Munich, Circus Krone
October 03, 2024 Duisburg, Rheinhausen-Halle
October 04, 2024 Esslingen, Neckar Forum
October 05, 2024 Schopfheim, Stadthalle
October 06, 2024 Erlangen, Congress/Heinrich-Lades-Halle
October 09, 2024 Ulm, ratiopharm Arena
October 10, 2024 Nordhorn, Alte Weberei
October 11, 2024 Trier, Europahalle
October 12, 2024 Aachen, Eurogress
October 15, 2024 Bielefeld, Lokschuppen
October 16, 2024 Bochum, Christuskirche
October 17, 2024 Hamm, Kurhaus
October 19, 2024 Siegen, Siegerlandhalle
October 20, 2024 Bingen am Rhein, Rheintal-Kongresszentrum
October 21, 2024 Salzwedel, Kulturhaus
October 24, 2024 Neunkirchen, Neue Gebläsehalle
October 25, 2024 Deggendorf, Stadthalle
October 26, 2024 Erfurt, Alte Oper
October 27, 2024 Sigmaringen, Stadthalle
October 31, 2024 Neumünster, Stadthalle
November 01, 2024 Bremen, Metropol Theater
November 02, 2024 Lüneburg, Libeskind Auditorium
November 03, 2024 Hamelin, Pied Piper Hall
November 05, 2024 Landau in der Pfalz, Art Nouveau Festival Hall
November 08, 2024 Neubrandenburg, Concert Church