I found myself in an interesting situation writing about a choral arrangement of songs by the British rock band Queen. I’d kinda sorta heard of them, but I would have been hard pressed to come up with any of their song titles. Until, that is, I started listening to their four hits included in the arrangement by Mark Brymer, “A Tribute to Queen.” ‘Hey, wait a minute!’ I thought. ‘That’s that song they play at football games.’ (“We Will Rock You.”) “Hey, hold on here! That’s the song Chicken Little sings after he’s improbably scored the winning run for the Oakey Oaks middle-school baseball team.’ (“We are the Champions.”) ‘Hey, what gives? Those are Weird Al Yankovic songs.’ (“Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Another One Bites the Dust,” only they’re really “Bohemian Polka” and “Another One Rides the Bus.” Not a Weird Al fan? Well, I’m sorry to hear that.) I was also vaguely aware that there’d been a movie not too long ago titled Bohemian Rhapsody which seemed to be sort of a big deal and which was about the band. (The lead actor, Rami Malek, won Best Actor for 2018.) And the name “Freddie Mercury” rang a faint bell. Well, I have to say that it’s been pretty interesting to dive into the world of Queen. I used to be a real music snob, but singing with the my own choir, the Cherry Creek Chorale, has revamped my musical taste. We sing such a variety of music, from ABBA to Alberti and Broadway to Biebl, every piece prepared and performed at the same high level of artistry, that it’s simply impossible for me to maintain my snooty attitude.
