For a night of elegant and affordable entertainment, Candlelight orchestras by Fever will not string you along.
Since 2019, Fever has put on Candlelight concerts in over 100 countries; anyone from Madrid to Dubai can enjoy the orchestra. Fever’s Louisiana event manager Alex Marcus wants people of any background to be able to appreciate this lost art. Spending an evening in a dimly lit hall listening to classical music may sound like an event of the past, but it is just as much one of the present.
“The idea is just to bring culture to anyone and everyone in an affordable way,” Marcus said.
These artists are all local, and usually do not travel out of the state. Louisiana’s branch alone has over 50 musicians in rotation. If you see one Candlelight concert in Baton Rouge and then one in Shreveport, you might get a whole new set of artists. The orchestra itself consists of only four members: two on the viola, one on the violin and one on the cello.
One could expect to hear any variety of works from one of these concerts. The orchestras play everything from classical music to Taylor Swift to ‘90s hip-hop covers.
This past Sunday, Feb. 22, was a celebration of the prolific German film composer Hans Zimmer. He has worked with a wide range of filmmakers and studios, providing soundtracks for constant collaborator Christopher Nolan, iconic suites for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and even Disney’s very own “The Lion King.”
The wide, beautiful expanse of the LSU Student Union Theater was lit by nothing but hundreds of LED candles, and there was an unmistakable air of a rich cultural experience.
A man in attendance with his partner said, “we like watching movies, and pretty much every movie that we’ve watched together that I’ve shown her was all Hans Zimmer scored, I just didn’t realize it.”
The setlist the orchestra goes through shows this breadth of work in full force. Before they even begin, one of the lead players welcomes the audience and gives a brief introduction to the show. A welcome practice in these shows is that the musicians introduce each new suite or piece of music played.
Often, the band plays pieces that may be from different films but are tied together by similar themes. One minute, you are hearing the sweeping sounds of “A Dark Knight,” followed by the electric theme from “Wonder Woman.” In honor of his sci-fi work, the melancholically beautiful “Cornfield Chase” was paired with the otherworldly suite from “Dune.” “Pirates of the Caribbean” got its own slot and a standing ovation from the audience.
With how gorgeous the instrumentation is, and how well it matches the original songs, it is a wonder there are only four people on stage. It is a testament to their talent how seamlessly the orchestra pulls off these musical pieces. Marcus believes this level of mastery is something important that should be thought of beyond classical geniuses of the past.
“In New Orleans, we can go to Frenchman Street, we can go to Bourbon Street, we can go to a bar and listen to live music, but you don’t have this,” said Marcus, “and I think this makes string instruments available to everyone. It’s important to keep it alive and not necessarily just associate it with Mozart or Beethoven.”
While there are no further Baton Rouge Candlelight concerts on the horizon, you can stay updated on Fever’s website.
