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23
oktober 2007, Publicatie : Het Belang van Limburg
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...The two thousand tickets for the Scala & Kolacny Brothers
live concert in Hasselt were sold in no time. Those who
attended the performance got what they expected for Scala
has lost its hyped 'girl choir going hard rock' image to
become a genuine professional act.
... The audience listened to several interpretations that
were more sophisticated than the covers Scala used to bring
in its early Scala- On-The-Rocks period.
... The choir and its forty-five 18+ girls have changed into
a choir that undoubtedly gained maturity.
Free translation of article excerpts of the daily 'Het
Belang van Limburg', 23rd October 2007 |
28.04.2006
Cork Evening Echo
Scala’s music resonates with the
audience
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Scala on the Rocks: A Triumph by Youth for
Youth
...
It was an unforgettable evening of music-making with the
choir wonderfully
conducted by co-founder Stijn Kolacny and many of the pieces
accompanied by
his brother and fellow co-founder Steven on the piano. ...
...
This was one of the most remarkable musical occasions ever
witnessed in the City Hall.
...
Every time it seemed the singing couldn't get any better, it
did. ...
There were two standing ovations" one at the official end of
the programme and the second after the encore Hats off to
John Fitzpatrick for bringing this Belgian youth choir to
Cork. ...
The dynamism created by the Kolacny Brothers translated into
the choir’s sublime singing, sense of fun and all-round
expertise. Scala have set a marker for Irish youth choirs.
...
Source: Extracts from an
article in Cork Evening
Echo, 28.04.2006 |
24.10.2005 mouvement-nouveau.com
The Rock Choir Experience
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by Bart Steenhaut |
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Singing Rock and Pop in a Classical
Concert Hall |
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Admittedly, it's neither a new idea nor something that will
likely lead more people to listen to Classical Music:
Singing popular Rock and Pop songs with a Choir is actually
the ultimate and earliest form of Cross-Over. But then
again, education was probably the last thing on the Kolacny
brother's mind when they founded "Scala".
Instead, they were driven by disappointment of the state of
the Belgian Choir scene as well as a desire to present |
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Alex Vanhee
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an open-minded
audience with a show that was unafraid of traditional
boundaries. So, in the earliest days of their project, there
was not even much talk of crossing over or of conquering the
charts. The Kolacny brothers, a talented piano duo
themselves, would conduct Scala at the side, while recording
and touring Europe. Between 1996 and 1999, they built the
ensemble from scratch to a size of 60 girls - and
established it as one of the best of its kind. The
breakthrough came when Scala managed to win their native
Belgium's "Choir of the Year"-award and held on to it for a
stunning three years. They would follow this success up with
the even more remarkable first prizes on the Pan-European
level and then started touring with some of their country's
best rock bands (as a backing singers). At this stage, Scala
was still a Classical choir who was modern enough to take on
the world of popular music.
Things changed, however, as a one-off recording of Puddle of
Mudd's "She hates me" turns out to be a listener's favourite
at radio station "Studio Brussel" in 2002. Live- and
Studio-repertoire is then adjusted to meet the public's
demand and the surge in popularity is mirrored by a surge in
records' sales ("Dream on" sells 30.000 in Belgium alone and
100.000 in Germany) and sold-out shows. In 2004, Germany
falls for a cover of Rammstein's "Engel" ("Angel") and this
in turn leads to an album of songs exclusively in that
country's language.
The next stage for Scala is now being laid as they prepare
for the release of their second German album "Grenzenlos"
("Without Borders") and a German tour that will see them
perform in about every major city (Berlin was virtually
paved with posters this weekend). The Kolacny brothers are
to take the supporting slot, which will make each night a
highly eclectic mix of the old and the new.
The enthusiasm and dedication of its founders as well as the
freshness of its arrangements make Scala a simple pleasure.
Please don't start overanalysing this phenomenon too much -
it's all about singing and having fun at it. And that's not
the worst of motives.
http://www.mouvement-nouveau.com/newsitems/rockchoirexperience |
September
2005 Flanders67
Scala Girls’ choir conquers the
world
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by Bart Steenhaut
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SUCCESS IS LIKE AN
OLD FRIEND WHO SUDDENLY TAPS YOU ON THE shoulder after many
years: you weren’t expecting it and that’s precisely what
makes it all the better. And Scala knows just how that
feels. Things have been going well for the girls’ choir from
Aarschot since 2002. They have already annexed Belgium,
France and Germany and have had a number of successful tours
in Canada and more recently at the World Fair in Japan. And
when the new CD comes off the press their sights will turn
on Switzerland and Austria. |
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Brothers Stijn
and Steven Kolacny have remained the creative driving force
since the choir was first set up nine years ago, one as
conductor, the other as pianist. As classically trained duet
players, they have brought out a respectable number of CDs,
but they have won the greatest success with Scala, for whom
they reduce classic rock songs to their essence and then
rework them until aspects of the songs emerge that no-one
has ever heard before. The effect is stunning.
An international phenomenon
With this approach the choir has grown into an international
phenomenon, which not only has songs by Radiohead, Nirvana
and Rammstein in its repertoire but also counts these bands
among its greatest fans. Rammstein even proposed to bring
out Scala’s version of ‘Engel’ on one of their own B sides,
Muse wants to do a studio recording with the girls and the
Canadian superstar Alanis Morissette |
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Leon Auwers
“A youth
choir tends to conjure up images of boredom, church music,
and discipline that verges on the military. But Scala is
proof that it doesn’t have to be like that.” |
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recently started
off her performance in Brussels with Scala’s version of ‘21
Things I Want In A Lover’, which is one of her own songs. In
Flanders, Scala has been billed at all the major festivals
and the girls shared the stage with Hooverphonic for the
final act on the main stage at the Rock Werchter festival.
Many pop bands would give an arm and a leg for a list of
achievements like this, but Steven Kolacny doesn’t let it go
to his head. “It is fantastic of course when big stars are
positive about what we’ve done with their songs, but we
shouldn’t get too big for our boots because of it. We have
invited well-known guest singers: Nicola Sirkis from
Indochine - extremely popular in France - has sung with us
for instance and in Belgium Stijn Meuris, Jasper Steverlinck
and Luc De Vos have joined Scala on the stage, but the aim
is for Scala to build up a career without that support.”
And they seem to be doing just that. When Stijn suddenly had
to be admitted to hospital after a photo session for a
performance in Germany had got out of hand, the nursing
staff knew immediately with whom they were dealing.
A substantial sum of money
These international tours usually take quite a lot of
preparation and although Scala’s CDs are selling like hot
cakes and increasingly the choir’s performances are
sell-outs, money cannot be the prime motive. “Stijn and I
used to often do private concerts to bolster Scala’s funds.
We take around thirty girls on tour and nowadays we also
take a string quartet and a rock band. And believe me, that
costs a lot of money. The girls aren’t paid directly for
their performances of course, but when we get an offer to go
and play in Japan we do have a kitty we use to pay
everyone’s flights and accommodation. Because the organizers
over there have no money for that of course. We don’t really
have a proper manager. Stijn and I try to deal with the
practical aspects of running Scala as best we can. Although
we do get help from a number of board members, whose
daughters all sing in Scala. Without their help we would
find it far more difficult to achieve our ambitions.”
Boring? Not in the least!
A youth choir tends to conjure up images of boredom, church
music, and discipline that verges on the military. But Scala
is proof that it doesn’t have to be like that. The
discipline is there, of course; strict rules apply when the
choir is on tour abroad, the girls are never allowed to go
into town by themselves and have to be in bed on time after
a performance. But there is always a buzz about the place as
the girls chit chat away, and the atmosphere is always
relaxed and informal. Initially the girls used to come just
from the Aarschot area (in the province of Vlaams Brabant)
and they had little technical baggage. Things are different
now, however. ‘We now have girls coming all the way from
Gent (Ghent) for rehearsals. There is no age limit, but
girls often leave after a time because they can no longer
combine the singing with their studies or their job.’
Stringent conditions
The entry requirements have also become more demanding over
time. “They have to have studied music theory, they have to
be able to read music and have to have a good voice. We
regularly hold auditions and if they pass that, they then
also have to get accepted by the other girls in the choir.
The latter in particular isn’t always a given and we
ourselves have very little influence on that. But that’s
almost the most important thing if you really want to be
part of Scala.”
Another important point is that they need to be able to
tolerate the constant bickering between the two brothers.
They disagree with each other about almost everything, but
when push comes to shove they would go through fire and
water for each other, and they know they can totally rely on
one another.
A hectic autumn season
And they will need to be able to rely on each other because
the autumn promises to be another very busy season, with a
new CD coming out in Germany and then one for the rest of
Europe. Another new chapter in a fast-moving story.
Article by Bart Steenhaut *.pdf
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08.06.2005
The Guardian
Bach meets Radiohead
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By Sean Thomas |
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A
few months ago, much to Scala's own astonishment, The
Guardian published an article by Sean Thomas. We just want
to share Mr. Thomas with our fans
I touch Myself by the Divinyls, a gloriously sleazy 80s
single, is hardly an obvious choice of material for a chorus
of teenage Belgian maidens. But that's the kind of song the
Scala choir chooses to cover. Even more surprisingly, in
their innocent mouths it becomes a spiritual psychodrama of
quite unsettling power.
... the girls started performing pop songs, both standard
and obscure. As Scala aficionados know, there are few things
as electrifying as a chorus of wide-eyed sixth-formers
sweetly enunciating, as if it were Verdi's Requiem, the
words "her boyfriend's a dick, he brings a gun to school"
(from Wheatus's Teenage Dirtbag.
Since then, Scala have attained cult status, much of it via
the internet. Their shows are sold out; their albums of
cover versions (like Scala on the Rocks) have done well in
France and the Benelux countries; ... .
... Just listen to the Scala choir mixing Bach and blatant
lunacy on their version of Radiohead's Creep.
Source: Extracts from an
article of Sean Thomas - The Guardian, Wednesday June 8,
2005 |
De Standaard’
newspaper
Scala: Steven & Stijn Kolacny
‘Scala on the Rocks’
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By Peter Vantyghem |
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The youth choir from the Belgian town of Aarschot and the
surrounding Flemish region sings rock and pop songs on its
‘Scala on the rocks’ album. Commencing 26 September, they
will be on tour in a large number of community & cultural
centres, where they are bound to attract a broad and young
audience. This will undoubtedly lead to a double benefit: a
new generation will find its way to the cultural centres
and, in no time, the image of Flemish choir life will be
rejuvenated.
Scala is conducted by the two brothers Steven and Stijn
Kolacny. Both are highly talented and widely acclaimed
pianists. They founded Scala in April 1996. A few years
later, they succeeded in making the choir one of Belgium’s –
and even of Europe’s – best vocal music ensembles. They
performed, up till now, a mainly classic repertoire.
‘Scala on the rocks’, however, is a totally different sound.
Both brothers realized that their girls’ choir, although
successful, was singing a repertoire that didn’t match the
girls’ living environment. So why not sing songs that the
girls knew, and liked? Songs by Garbage, Nirvana, Wheatus
and even those of Kylie Minogue and The Police. Or of the
Flemish pop groups, Noordkaap and K's Choice.
Last autumn, the choir did a concert with a wholly pop
programme at the Lowlands festival in the Netherlands, which
was a real step in the dark for them. They needn’t have
worried though. The rock audience listened willingly, sang
along with them and embraced the project, which had been
conceived at the request of the ‘Festival van Vlaanderen’.
After that, Scala pre-booked a few theatres in Flanders in
the hope that this new niche market would take off for them.
What followed is quite an accomplishment in Flemish music
history. A first concert in Ghent was a sell-out and,
suddenly, the two Kolacnys were hot media items. Record
companies jostled for contracts; they’d made it to the big
time… Given this massive wave of media interest, they
decided not to wait any longer to record a CD. Scala
recorded a few live concerts, the highlights of which became
’Scala on the rocks’, released on the PiaS label.
But it didn’t stop there... The Kolacnys received several
requests from other youth choirs, which wanted to receive
the scores. Because Scala singing pop songs well, that was
something else! Rock radio station Studio Brussels played
the CD, television station TMF broadcast a recording from a
live concert and, to the astonishment of many a music
critic, pop-pickers everywhere reacted very positively.
Puritan reactions about an alleged loss of dynamics in the
songs were negligible.
Obviously, all this raises further questions. Can Scala play
a pioneering role in this new trend? Can the Flemish choirs
still use Scala from the centre of Flanders as their choir
to benchmark against, while it is slowly creaming central
Belgium’s best voices?
Possibly. Scala is, after all, unique. The choir rehearses
intensely (5.5 hours a week), it has young and charismatic
leaders and it is well coached by parents and sympathisers.
The group is big enough to alternate its line-up, on a long
tour, and thus maintain a strong stage presence. In
addition, Stijn and Steven Kolacny are also smart
businessmen who have a panache for communicating with the
media. It goes without saying that, musically, they are very
talented.
But all of this would not be enough if it were not for the
valid contention that pop songs, even more than classical
songs, come to life with a full-throated, lyrical
interpretation. Pop music does not need complex chords or
harmonic finesse, but rather a common bond between a
performer and his audience. When the audience has genuine
empathy for the performer, dreams comes true!
Source: ‘De Standaard’
newspaper |
Ohne Datum:
PIAS News
SCALA on the Rocks
You could be very brief about Scala: a youth choir from Aarschot,
Belgium, roughly sixty teenage girls, directed by two talented
brothers, and enjoying national and international recognition. That
could be it.
You could say a lot more though:
Scala is an exceptional ensemble, inspired by the two brothers Stijn
and Steven Kolacny, who – if they’re not playing piano four hands –
direct their choir in an unparalleled manner. Stijn as the conductor,
Steven at the piano. This combination produces musical fireworks
that have already taken Scala to distant foreign countries and
earned them numerous prizes. During the most bizarre moments, Scala
has stood among the great – and most of the time very loud – big
shots of rock music. For example, at the Lowlands Festival in the
Netherlands, in front of a bewildered, yet thrilled audience. A year
before, the girls choir was on the big stage at Rock Werchter as the
backing vocals section for the headliner Hooverphonic.
Now this was quite a feat, but Scala is taking another big step
again.
You need to have the guts – some call it naďveté – to twist the
repertoire of a youth choir from classical into rock and pop music.
And so they did, with success. We’re talking about sold out concert
halls, fights for the last unsold tickets, lots of media attention
and standing ovations whenever Scala and the Kolacny-brothers
performed their Scala on the Rocks-concerts under the most diverse
circumstances. They performed in the famous Studio 4 of the
renovated Flagey building (during a series of events of the Festival
van Vlaanderen) as well as in the Flanders Expo during the
TMF-Awards 2002, where Scala was featured as special guest. During
these highly appreciated 'pop-concerts' by the youth choir, singers
Jasper Steverlinck (Arid) and Stijn Meuris (Noordkaap/Monza) also
made their appearances. And time and again, it produced a
surprisingly beautiful and even manifested emotional fusion of a
variety of musical genres.
Now, this says something about the turns that a youth choir with a
vision can take. According to Stijn and Steven Kolacny it’s quite
simple though: “Whether it’s Brahms or Garbage, in the end it’s all
'music’. And wouldn’t it be stupid and arrogant to think that an
open-minded audience cannot or should not love both extremes? As a
matter of fact, that is just what the audience does."
This series of concerts Scala on the Rocks was digitally recorded
and is now released on CD. The result is a sometimes startling
document: stripped of all trimmings, reduced to its bare essentials.
The 19 songs (from 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana, 'Creep' by
Radiohead and 'All I Did' by Arid, to 'Van God Los' by Monza...
Scala is game for anything) emerge from the speakers in a very
peculiar way. Every breath is heard, every pedal stroke on the
Bösendorfer grand piano is there, and every feeling is real.
You hear tension, immersion and space. But you hear at least as much
playing and singing pleasure, recorded live, as it sounded in the
live performance. Unique and moving to a great extent. In short, a
bit as the Scala members and both of their frontmen ought to be.
http://www.pias.com/v4/news/page2.asp?ID=90
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