Candlelight: The Best of The Beatles
Sparkman Cellars, Seattle
Upon entering Sparkman Cellars and seeing the plastic candles lining the stage, I immediately had flashbacks of Orange County clubhouse events from my youth. It was not the best introduction, but it was nothing that wasn’t quickly overcome with a little wine and some beautiful music.
I’ve seen advertisements for these Candlelight events for some time now and had been meaning to check them out, so an evening dedicated to the songs of The Beatles was a natural nudge to follow through. The formula for these events, presented by Fever, is simple enough: select music, pick a classy venue, hire the musicians, surround the stage with electric candles, provide alcohol, and you have a show. It’s a simple concept, but it works, and at the event I saw, it was the passion of the string quartet on the stage that really made the evening.
Adapting classic rock to the confines of the quartet worked well, as did the curtsey of the Seattle String Quartet. Eli Weinberger made up the rhythm section, playing pizzicato on the cello with passionate precision, offering up visceral feelings while keeping the beat. First violin, Vanessa Moss, also shows her skill, flying through some of the busier licks and runs. The arrangements for the evening were made by the in-house Music Curation team and adapted by the performing musicians themselves. Some songs make the transition better than others, but the selections that really work help bring out unique qualities in the songs. For example, in the polyphonic conclusion of "All You Need Is Love," the four string players divide up the referenced pieces and overlap them nicely, providing a crisp perspective on the brilliance of this ending. Then you have "Eleanor Rigby," which was recorded with a string quartet, giving us the opportunity to hear this beautiful piece as it was originally intended.
The whole experience was a very relaxed and enjoyable evening. It lasted roughly 60 minutes, a perfect amount of time to sip wine, revel in the music, hold hands with your partner, or share a table with some friends. I would happily do it again.