[Robinium]

Hello,

I want to make a classical music sample as a present for a couple of my friends who are metalheads but open to new kinds of music. They listen to various kinds of Metal and Hard Rock, and they are very much into the sophistication of the music itself as well as hi-fi technology. They are curious about classical music as well, as they can hear the sophistication when they listen to it. But they don't know where to start best.

Some of the Metal music is quite sophisticated anyway, so it might be a good present to offer them a "Metalhead compatible" classical music sample to get an interesting, metal compatible insight into classical music. I don't want them to suffer from a culture shock when listening to my sample. So the music needs to be very expressive and have a lot of "metal power".

I love some of the classical music, but do not know that much about it, I listen more to Progressive Rock, Electronica and Jazz (hardly ever to Metal). I am not into hi-fi either. So I need your advice to make a great sample for my friends. It would be too sad if they miss out classical music because they don't get good examples.

So here is my list of classical music for Metalheads - what else would you suggest?

Wagner: The Ride of the Valkyries

Vivaldi - 4 Seasons - Summer III and Winter I

Carl Orff - O Fortuna and maybe some of the other Carmina Burana songs

Mussorgsky - Night on the bald mountain

Also, which choirmasters and interpreters would you suggest? It needn't be the best of all, but I don't want the versions to sound boring. Karajan and Anne-Sophie Mutter as a violonist seem to be a good start. You needn't be too picky about that, just remember that it's for metal heads so it's better if it is too expressive than too boring.

Best wishes and thanks in advance for your advice,

Robin

 

[superhorn]

Debussy: La Mer. Afternoon of a Faun. Ravel: Daphis &Chloe,suite no 2, Bolero, La Valse,Rhapsodie Espagnole. Holst :The Planets. Respighi: The Pines of Rome.
Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel,Don Juan,Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Smetana: The Moldau. Rimsky-Korskakov: Scheherezade, Capriccio Espanol. Russian Easter overture.
Elgar: Enigma Variations. Tchaikovsky: Rome&Juliet. Francesca Da Rimini. Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition(orchestra or piano). Night on Bald Mountain. Dvorak: Carneval Overture.
Janacek: Sinfonietta.Taras Bulba. Prokofiev: Scythian Suite. Lt.Kizhe Suite.
Stravinsky: Firebird,Petrushka,Rite of Spring. All colorful works suitable for classical newbies.

 

[David58117]

If they're curious about it, don't make them a sampler - tell them to start with some of the late romantics (Mahler, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff), and go from there.

Or just buy them Solit's version of Mahler's Second Symphony...it's sure to get their attention.

 

[EddieG]

Les Preludes, Franz Liszt. Get the Minnesota Orch., Eiji Oue conducting, on Reference
Ballet Music for Petrouchka, Stravinsky
Overture to The Flying Dutchman, Wagner
1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky. Naturally...
Montagues and Capulets, from Romeo and Juliet, Prokofiev

Need more?

 

[jurianbai]

most of classical piece can make metalhead say OMG. try this video, Ravel Tzigane. Metalhead like virtuoso piece.

 

[tenor02]

choir masters: Robert Shaw. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus can scream like nobody else.

 

[Major Minor]

No one has said Paganini?
Unbelievable.
If any Classical music would appeal to a metal head my guess would be that.
Tell them "Think of it as early Yngwie"

 

[Major Minor]

(Plus Paganini has the added advantage of supposedly having sold his soul to the devil! ;-)

 

[Earthling]

Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (what could be perceived as being very O Fortuna like in many places)

 

[Fsharpmajor]

Shostakovich 4th, 10th and 11th symphonies
Liszt Dante and Faust symphonies
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Britten Sinfonia da Requiem
Bartok Concerto for Orchestra

 

[emiellucifuge]

How about Respighi's Pini Roma

 

[Huilunsoittaja]

Bartok, Britten, Stravinsky anything. Just make sure it's not too tonal.

 

[Earthling]

For something a bit more extreme: Penderecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

 

[SuperTonic]

My college roommate was a metalhead and I was able to get him interested in a few classical pieces. Some pieces I remember that he liked were Barber's Adagio for Strings, Orff's Carmina Burana, and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. He liked one of the Bartok string quartets too, but I don't remember which it was. I'm thinking the 4th, but am not certain.
You may also want to check out some Latin composers. I would think the complex rhythms would be appealing to metalheads. Ginastera's Estancia comes to mind.

 

[Dim7]

Debussy: La Mer. Afternoon of a Faun. Ravel: Daphis &Chloe,suite no 2, Bolero, La Valse,Rhapsodie Espagnole.

Is this a joke or something? Impressionism is basically the antithesis of metal. It's soft, non-aggressive, dreamy, meandering - everything metal is not!

 

[JAKE WYB]

if your metalheads are looking for something comparable close to the vigourous timbre of heavy metal I couldnt do better than to recommend or reinforce the following -

VW - Symphony 4
Shostakovich - Symphony 8 & 11, The execution of Stepan Razin
Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin, The 9 Enchanted Stags, Music for Strings etc.
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, maybe Les Noces
Mahler - Symphony 2 & 3 first movements (followed by the rest of course)
Janacek - Sinfonietta?
Tchaikovsky - Francesca de Rimini, Manfred
Bruckner - Symphony 9
Prokofiev - Scythian Suite, Symphony 3
Schnittke - Faust Cantata
Liszt - Dante Symphony
Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances
Sibelius - Kullervo
Martinu - Piano Concerto 4 'incantations'

 

[jurianbai]

yeah, Paganini violin concerto no.4 already re arranged by Yngwie, for his Far Beyond the Sun. and.. oh, don't forget the Canon in D.

 

[Julie]

Show them this:

 

[Robinium]

Hello,

I am still here, sorry for answering so late, had computer problems.

Many of your hints are great. You people rock!

I browsed through youtube with your hints and got a couple of further suggestions, as long as the computer still worked fine. Was the some of the best days of my life, so thank you very much.

I also stumbled about a couple of great mixtures of metal and classical music. Seems like metalheads tend to love certain pieces of classical music much more than others. They love it when it gets dramatic or virtuose and does not sound "nice and sweet" and/or you hear the percussion a lot and/or it transports a lot of dynamic and is fast. Very popular were:
- Beethovens fünfte Symphonie (fifth Symphony), - very dramatic and sinister
- Vivaldi Summer III (the tempest), - very dramatic and sinister
- Bach Toccata and fugue in d minor - very cleverly composed and virtuose
- Khachaturian: sabre dance - fast, faster, sabre dance...
- Hall of the mountain King - based on the "Kalinka maya hey" principle, getting faster and faster, what else do you wish for a good metal concert?

If you don't really hate metal, watch out for youtube videos of Apocalyptica and Ankh, they mix up classical music with metal well and are a good start for "classicalheads" to get into metal. Or Yngwie Malstreams "Arpeggios from Hell" if you like Paganini (thanks for the hint! Did not know that guy before, very interesting music.

I will come to the single postings right soon, then to my final choice of music. You gave me a lot of inspiration. Thank you very much!

 

[David58117]

Wait - just because a band uses symphonic instruments, it doesn't mean that they mix up "classical music" with whatever they're playing. There's generally much more associated with that term, one involving structure, instrumentation, stylistic techniques, etc etc that you generally don't find in other genres...unless you're referring to the specific period.

So nope, just because My Dying Bride uses a violin - not classical. Just because Lacrimosa hired the LSO for a CD - not classical. Just because Therion uses strings/chorus - not classical.