Escala

Escala, a London-based string quartet from Britain specializing in classical crossover in the vein of Bond, issued their first album in 2009 after achieving widespread recognition through Britain's Got Talent. The ensemble consists of cellist Tasya Hodges, violinists Izzy Johnston and Victoria Lyon, and violist Chantal Leverton. Johnston and Leverton had previously belonged to Wild, a classical crossover quintet that issued the 2005 album Time and drew frequent comparisons to Bond. The four musicians initially joined forces as the string section supporting British pop band McFly on its 2005 arena tour. After forming Escala, the quartet was selected for the 2008 second season of Simon Cowell-hosted ITV competition Britain's Got Talent. Although they did not claim the overall victory, Escala advanced to the finals, where they delivered a rendition of composer Karl Jenkins's "Palladio" before finishing behind winner George Sampson. The exposure prompted Sony BMG to offer the group a major recording deal. Their self-titled debut Escala, helmed by British hitmaker Trevor Horn and released in 2009, achieved substantial commercial success by peaking at number two on the U.K. albums chart and yielding the U.K. Top 40 single "Palladio." Largely built around familiar covers—including Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" featuring lead guitarist Slash of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, Wings' "Live and Let Die," and Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings—the project nevertheless drew harsh reviews and sparked debate over its overlap with material previously interpreted by Bond.