The creeping choral rock of Scala & Kolacny Brothers

By Ricardo Baca

There’s something deeply moving — disturbing, even — about the
recordings of the performers known as Scala & Kolacny Brothers.
The ensemble is built around a Belgian girls choir that takes on
contemporary rock standards with a straight-faced, postmodern
ferocity that catches listeners unaware.

If you thought you knew Radiohead — or Bjork or U2, Muse or
Nirvana, Depeche Mode or Garbage — a listen to the choir’s
classical arrangements might prove you wrong. In fact, it was their
cover of Radiohead’s “Creep,” featured in the trailer for the film
“The Social Network” that made them international stars.

The singers, along with their arranger, Steven Kolacny, and
conductor, Stijn Kolacny, bring their act to the Gothic Theatre for
a performance Wednesday night.

Brothers Steven and Stijn started Scala in 1996 as a classical
endeavor, an opportunity for the two pianists to arrange for a
larger group. They gained a following in Europe, and they were
solidifying their place in modern classical music, when the group
took a turn toward pop.