Christopher O'Reilly

There are enough people in the classical music world who know who Thom Yorke is that there is not only a man who has released a serious album of piano transcriptions of Radiohead songs — Christopher O’Reilly’s True Love Waits, on Odyssey/Sony Classical, which was released the same day as Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief — but also classical people who like Radiohead and dislike O’Reilly’s album. Of course, there are plenty of classical people who like it just fine, such as LA Times critic Josef Woodard. And Rolling Stone chimed in with four stars.

If all this is all new to you, here are some facts about Christopher O’Reilly. Grew up in Pittsburgh with public radio in his blood — his mother and stepfather both had a hand in running that city’s fabled classical station WQED. By high school was playing jazz professionally; having fallen under the spell of Gunther Schuller, went on to greatness at New England Conservatory. Won many prizes. Played lots all over the world. Suspects he got his current job as the host of the highly rated NPR program From the Top — a kind of non-competitive American Idol for absurdly talented young classical musicians — when his current boss saw a piece on CBS This Morning in which O’Reilly extolled the virtues of Public Enemy. (Is also a fan of N.W.A and Biz Markie.) First heard Radiohead circa 1997’s OK Computer. Began playing Radiohead pieces on From the Top when he ran out of other short pieces he liked; listeners called to ask where they could find more music by "Mr. Head." Can tell you that Radiohead’s B-side "Fog" was originally called "Alligators in New York Sewers."

Downloads every Radiohead live performance he can. Has seen Radiohead live exactly once, at the Hollywood Bowl. Enjoyed it but prefers what he’s heard on the bootleg circuit lately. ("I think recently they’ve reached a point in live performance that they’re the most amazing musicians playing on a stage. Glastonbury was incredible. It sounded like a 60,000-person sing-along.") Has also performed transcriptions of: George Harrison, Nick Drake ("I read an interview with the band where Thom listed Nick Drake as his number-one musical influence. You can hear a bit of Nick’s ‘River Man’ in ‘Gagging Order’ "), and the "Dôme épais du jasmin" aria from Léo Delibes’s Lakmé ("That wonderful duet that was used in the horror movie The Hunger" — to be specific: in the infamous Susan Sarandon/Catherine Deneuve lesbo scene). Most obscure reference he will cite while defending the tradition of classical composers appropriating the pop songs of their day: 14th-century French superstar Guillaume de Machaut ("When Machaut was writing Masses, he might take the bass line from a popular tune.") Thinks Johnny Greenwood is occasionally overworked. ("He’s playing, like, 18 instruments, and I think he’s more comfortable on some nights than he is on others. Johnny sets big goals for himself.")

Just like Thom Yorke, will not play "Creep." "Two of the things that draw me to a piece are texture and harmony. ‘Creep’ is basically the same harmony in the verse and chorus, so I stay away from that. ‘Stop Whispering’ is a song I love, but it’s more or less the same harmonic ground, so there’s not much to play with. For ‘Thinking About You,’ one of the songs on Pablo Honey, I came up with a left-hand rolling part that suggests the kinetic feeling you get with a guitar being strummed, which also gave me the opportunity to add a couple of notes that fulfill the feeling of having the extra noise of an extra guitar. It just gives it an aura, and that turned out to be a very classical way of doing things. It sounds to many classical listeners like Chopin’s G-major Prelude — the left hand ostinato, and the melody rides on top — and that was unintentional on my part. I never said, ‘Let’s do a Mozart "Karma Police," ’ but as someone who has played a lot of composers, there are shapes your hands get used to."

Although From the Top is headquartered at Jordan Hall, has not had a recital here in 15 years. Would love to be asked back.

Christopher O’Reilly hosts a live taping of From the Top next Sunday, October 5, at Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street. Free tickets are available by calling (617) 585-1260.