After 30 years of worldwide performing and recording. The Sixteen is recognised as one of the world’s
greatest ensembles. With their own record label, a string of awards and nicknamed ‘The Voices of Classic FM’, the group have been led to success each year by their conductor and founder Harry Christophers.
How did The Sixteen start?
Well that started right after I left Oxford, and again like so many things in the art world it seems to have happened by chance really. I was asked to put on a concert so I put together a group and again it really went from there, this was back in the late 70s very early 80s and everything was pretty experimental then. And I think back then it was much easier to get friends to do something for a drink rather than having to pay them money or anything and it just progressed.
How has The Sixteen changed or progressed since you won the Classical BRIT Award in 2005?
Oh very much so, particularly in the UK. Back in the 90s most of our work was abroad, very few concerts in the UK, I mean in London we probably only did 3 or 4 concerts in a year. Then when the Choral Pilgrimage started in 2000 it was a great success and that built up awareness in the UK of The Sixteen. Then the classical BRIT award obviously has a more commercial appeal, I mean the biggest thing for us has been the music series we did on BBC 4 and a lot of people have watched us and so the next series is going onto BBC 2. It’s a combination of all of those things and suddenly we’re doing about 30-40 concerts in the UK, I mean nobody does that, and they sell out.
What would you say is the best venue you’ve ever performed in?
It’s very tricky because there are several but I think in terms of acoustic sound the Musikverein in Vienna, I mean that’s where Beethoven symphonies was first performed and Brahms, I mean the history of that place. All the sort of modern concert halls such as Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles you can electronically control the acoustics to make it acoustic perfect and they are staggering. But just in terms of beauty of sound the Musikverein is fantastic. Of course it depends what music we are doing, if we’re doing the sacred music just with the choir it would have to be one of the cathedrals especially up in York. Actually York is one of the best; it’s fantastic for that sort of music.
What are your personal influences?
It would be Leonard Bernstein, he’s a great, great conductor of all types of music. When he conducts an orchestra or when he’s playing a piano, or composing he’s someone who music oozes out of. He is someone who feeds off the musicians in front of him and they feed off him and an incredible power comes across to the audience. I try to do that.
How do you choose the people for The Sixteen to create the right blend?
Yeah it’s an interesting one. Obviously everyone in The Sixteen have to sight read very well, they need the musicality and quick brain. That’s the sort of pre requisite, they have to sing in tune be rhythmic have good voices etc. But having said all that 50% has to have a good character, I mean that for me goes hand in hand in such a small group. So it has got to have the right blend, it’s also like watching a good football team; it’s like watching Arsenal play. I mean when you see this fantastic really flowing football it’s the same with a choir because they know intuitively what each other’s doing, they know each other really well, they get on well. In the performance they know what each other’s going to do, and they listen to each other, it’s a real team that are working together.
One of The Sixteen auditioned for the X Factor but they didn’t get through the preliminary stages. How do you think this reflects on these kinds of reality TV shows?
Personally I think now they have got completely and utterly out of hand. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people turn up, and the publicity behind it is quite ridiculous. It’s wonderful of course for the people that get through and go on to win it but it’s the harm it causes. At any stage when they get through they have a feeling that they’re going to make it and the hope they put in to all these people, it’s pretty awful really. Of course there is scope for a talent show, one or two of them but you see shows like Britain’s Got Talent and the people that are on them and it’s just a joke, I mean you’ve got the Jed people on at the moment…What are they called?
Jedward
Yes Jedward, they’re just ridiculous.
What are your plans for the future?
Yeah we’re doing a lot of education plans for the future. We’re hopefully gonna start a new generation thing, training up people from 18 to 23. I always think that these days the top universities like Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, York have wonderful core foundations. In the old days if you had a good voice you’d get in on that, now people have to get fantastic grades in A levels, so you’re losing a lot of natural singers. In terms of the bigger things what I’d like to do is a 16 piece opera on the stage. Also I’ve got big designs to commission a work from James McMillan in a few years time.