Chuck Berry Goes Classical: Listen to Andrew Lipke tackle “Roll Over Beethoven” with violinist Miho Seagusa

For the past couple years, Philly’s Andrew Lipke has branched beyond the confines of rock and roll singer-songwriter to collaborate with more classically-rooted music organizations in Philly. In the past year, he’s worked with Choral Arts Philadelphia on a recording project and joined the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia on the INTERSECT concert series, shows intended to bridge the worlds of classical and pop.

The next season of INTERSECT kicks off on Wednesday, November 30th at World Cafe Live, and to mark the occasion, Lipke and violinist Miho Seagusa put a fancy spin on a rock and roll favorite, Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” — which was kind of already a specimen of the rock world teasing the classical world. 

Seagusa’s arcing melodies rise and fall for the first minute 25 of the song, before Lipke kicks in with some early rock fervor, and from there it’s a melodic conversation across generations. Give it a watch below, and get tickets and more information on the show at the XPN Concert Calendar. Other installments of the series happen on February 22nd and May 10th.