Classic crossover: genesis, stages of formation and perspective

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the formation of a new musical direction ‒ classical crossover, based on the synthesis of classical tradition, variety art specificity and modern performance. This peculiar direction is considered an innovative-oriented trend in the world music industry, its genesis is considered in the context of postmodernism, the conceptual feature of which in art was the rejection of the division into “elite” and “mass” art and the emergence of the idea of ​​their interaction. Numerous studies by musicologists cannot give a clear definition of this cultural phenomenon: for some it is a style, for others ‒ a genre or direction, based on the research context of the scientist. Today, this phenomenon has been studied mainly in the cultural and sociological directions, since modern music is still analyzed in the context of mass, not artistic culture. In the 60^s and 70^s of the 20^th century artists resort to searching for new forms, genres, and styles not only in music, but also in vocal art. During this period, the first attempts to search for a synthesis of academic and variety vocals were made. The group “Les Swingele Singers” was distinguished by its interesting creative experiments.  Today, the classical crossover is dynamically developing in modern vocal performance and instrumental creativity. It is mainly represented by bright foreign performers, including instrumental musicians: Andrea Bocelli, David Garrett, Vanessa Mae, Lindsey Stirling, Jennifer Thomas, as well as singers Sarah Brightman, Filippa Giordano, Josh Groban, Alessandro Safina, Hayley De Westenra. This direction is not often found on the domestic stage. The first attempts to search for a synthesis of academic and variety vocals were made in the 1960^s-1970^s. The activities of singers-partners of this period were noted, in particular Yu. Gulyaev, D. Hnatyuk,                   M. Kondratyuk, V. Kuprina, A. Mokrenko, K. Ognevyi,                     L. Ostapenko, D. Petrynenko, and others. In the 21^st century, the duets of the projects F.Mustafayev/T.Samaya and                        V.Stepova/V.Sinchuk, as well as the works of A.Akhat,                      O. Chubareva, A. Domski, are widely known. An analysis of modern Western European music demonstrates the high demand and prospects of classical crossover in musical and vocal performance. As for the situation in Ukraine, we can say that today on the Ukrainian national stage it is still in the process of formation.