by Christine Jay, special to ClevelandClassical.com
Editors’s note: this think piece was written for the Oberlin course “Practicing the Art of Musical Criticism,” team-taught by Daniel Hathaway, Donald Rosenberg, and Mike Telin.
Beyoncé — aka Yoncé, Queen Bey, Queen B, Sasha Fierce, M. Carter — the name brings to mind a myriad of hits spanning several decades. But she is also a symbol of feminism, free speech, and downright personal freedom in general.
I will echo what many have said and no doubt will continue to say: Queen Bey slays — like no other popstar. Extreme innovation in the way she delivers her artistic product is the engine and the key to her empire, something that has yet to be unlocked in the Classical world.
Such innovation was clearly on display on Saturday, April 23, when Beyoncé’s most recent studio and visual album, Lemonade, was released via Tidal, a fledgling audio and music video streaming service, along with a one-hour film of the album that aired on HBO. Social media, especially Twitter, erupted with reactions to the film and to the music itself. [Read more…]