Brahms + Radiohead = A unique listening experience at the PSO

Hackman has created mashups or remixes of the works of the above artists’ works.

And he will conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in FUSE@PSO: Brahms + Radiohead, which combines Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 with the alternative rock band Radiohead’s 1997 breakthrough CD, “OK Computer.”

The performance will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Heinz Hall.

“I think it’s really good to reconceptualize the music on both sides, to present Radiohead in a way they’ve never been heard before,” said Hackman in a telephone interview from the Colorado Music Festival near Boulder.

Three singers will perform “OK Computer” song lyrics in harmony, showcasing them in a different style than Radiohead singer Thom Yorke, Hackman said.

“And on the classical side, we will present Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 reconceptualized. That is from the 1860s, so in the past 150 years, it’s been played the same way with the same notes. It’s exciting to change it around.

“I think audiences get that. Audiences are getting something that is unique, hearing music they’ve never heard before.”

Hackman considers himself an aficionado of both classical and pop music, and he wants as many fans as possible to be exposed to the different works that exist in the 21st century.

“As a kid, I was listening to cassette tapes of Chopin piano selections and the Beatles,” he said. “It’s been really kind of a genuine interest in both.”

On the pop side, Hackman belonged to an a capella group, the Others Guys, at the University of Illinois. Then he studied conducting at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and at the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen.

He got his mashup idea after spending four years as a conductor at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

“I decided classical music institutions are not doing enough to engage new audiences,” he said. “I was distressed. I wanted to do something that felt culturally relevant. So I left the classical world and focused on pop.”

Hackman since has returned to the Indianapolis Symphony, where he directs the Happy Hour series in an effort to engage new audiences. But on the side, he makes mashups. He was debuting his latest one, Bartok and Bjork, at the Colorado Music Festival.

The results really are not traditional mashups, but instead he layers the pieces, going back and forth, giving each listener a new experience, whether they love classical or pop more.

“It’s not just juxtaposing the two,” Hackman added. “It’s the Radiohead songs, but Brahms’ themes and melodies are superimposed on top. Plus we’re keeping the Brahms orchestration and sound palette. That’s what makes it a true hybrid.”

Radiohead was the No. 1 musical artist that Hackman wanted to use on the pop side, and he also loves Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.

“Just because I wanted to deal with them doesn’t mean it’s going to work, but I started to listen to Radiohead and play Brahms and I realized there were a lot of commonalities.”

For more information or tickets, call (412) 392-4900 or www.pittsburghsymphony.org