# Classical Music for Metalheads - Need Advice



## Robinium (Jun 2, 2010)

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


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

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.


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## David58117 (Nov 5, 2009)

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.


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## EddieG (Jun 2, 2010)

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?


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

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


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## tenor02 (Jan 4, 2008)

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


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## Major Minor (May 30, 2010)

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"


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## Major Minor (May 30, 2010)

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


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## Earthling (May 21, 2010)

Stravinsky's *Symphony of Psalms* (what could be perceived as being very _O Fortuna _like in many places)


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

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


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

How about Respighi's Pini Roma


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

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


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## Earthling (May 21, 2010)

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


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

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.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

superhorn said:


> 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!


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

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'


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

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.


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## Julie (Jun 4, 2010)

Show them this:


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## Robinium (Jun 2, 2010)

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!


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## David58117 (Nov 5, 2009)

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.


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## Fritamente (Jun 8, 2010)

Tchaikovsky!
I'm a pretty big metal head myself, but some of my favourites are Chopin, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky.
Also Ponce!


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## Serge (Mar 25, 2010)

What metalheads want to hear is music with balls. Beethoven that is!


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## TWhite (Feb 23, 2010)

Some pieces that have caught a few of my Metalhead friends attention: 

Ravel: La Valse/Piano Concerto for Left Hand
Ginastera: Estancia
Wagner: Siegfried's Funeral Music
Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances (especially the third movement)
Shostakovich: Symphonies #5/#11
Prokoviev: Alexander Nevsky/Sycthian Suite
Brahms: Piano Concerto #1 (yes. REALLY!)
Beethoven: Symphony #7
Orff: Carmina Burana (especially O Fortuna and In Taberna Quando Sumus)
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast/Crown Imperial
Elgar: March of the Moguls from "Crown Of India" suite
Khatchaturian: Piano Concerto/Gayne and Spartacus ballet suites

Tom


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## Grosse Fugue (Mar 3, 2010)

For opera can I suggest Don Giovanni?Rape,sex,murder,violence,hellfire, what more could you want?


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## Charon (Sep 8, 2008)

I've been a fan of lots of metal music for a long time. It seems to me that listening to metal gave me a different mentality when it comes to music. I wasn't much into classical music until after I started listening to metal. Now I love classical music. Funny how that worked.

Anyways, here are some suggestions:
- Beethoven - Eroica Symphony 1st movement
- JS Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No.3
- Mozart - Symphony No.36 1st movement
- Rachmaninov - Trio Elegiaque No.1 in G minor


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## jives11 (Jun 20, 2010)

It's been suggested many times in this thread but the Allegro (The 9th of January) from Shostakovich Symphony No 11 as an amazing marshal section portraying the massacre of protesters in the abortive revolution of 1905. It's hard to think of a more terrifyingly exciting moment

Lots of Wagner - I'd add the Parsifal Prelude and Transformation Music.

Perhaps also Bartok - The Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. The Adagio is a very disturbing piece.
Also by Bartok, Duke Bluebeards castle, where the music builds to a climax at the line "Now behold my vast kingdom. Gaze ye down the dwindling vistas" - it's incredible.

Also Tapiola by Sibelius, another truly thrilling piece


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

jives11 said:


> It's been suggested many times in this thread but the Allegro (The 9th of January) from *Shostakovich Symphony No 11 *as an amazing marshal section portraying the massacre of protesters in the abortive revolution of 1905. It's hard to think of a more terrifyingly exciting moment


thats_ the _one


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## ghostViolin (May 6, 2010)

jurianbai said:


> 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.


I have Paganini violin concertos 2 and 4 and have listened to them a couple of times but I still can't figure out which pieces were re-arranged for Far Beyond the Sun.

Guess it's just me then...

Oh btw, what does it really mean by 're-arranged'?

For this thread, I'd recommend Paganini Cappricio no. 5, 16 and 24, or just get the whole 24 Capprices and enjoy.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

If solo piano music is welcome too, it always seemed to me that Rachmaninov's g-minor prelude (no. 5 from op. 23) is a piece that many guys who wouldn't normally listen to classical think is "kinda cool" when they hear it. I've had that experience a couple of times. More of those "rough" Rachmaninov pieces kind be found here and there throughout the two collections of Preludes and Etudes-Tableaux (op. 23, 32, 33 and 39).


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Adding on to piano music, how about some Heavy-Metal piano by Prokofiev? He's excellent at that, believe me.

Suggestions:
5 Sarcasms for Piano
Diabolical Suggestion 
Piano Sonatas 5, 6, and particularly 7, with its "*Precipitato*" 3rd movement.
Piano Concerto no. 3, particularly 1st movement.


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

ghostViolin said:


> I have Paganini violin concertos 2 and 4 and have listened to them a couple of times but I still can't figure out which pieces were re-arranged for Far Beyond the Sun.
> 
> Guess it's just me then...
> 
> ...


re arranged maybe too serious word, Yngwie just take the first couple bars of introduction. i am too slow now to find u a youtube video to compare.

paganini 24 capprices also popular for guitar shredder, you can find it on youtube, from professional guitarist to amateur, all try to use this capprices to show some skill


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

I think Yngwie just played the melody of that concerto live sometimes, before the Far Beyond the Sun maybe but it's not really part of the piece really.


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## lalalalalalala (Aug 2, 2010)

I have "converted" people to classical music with ease. It goes like this: Mozart. 

Mozart does appeal to the senses, but he also reaches deep into the soul. Most other classical composers, reach into the heart... but if you have an aquired taste; depending on the person. and about boring: Only the boring are bored. Tell them to have some damned patience. Go do some chores, and blast some Mozart. 

I'd go with the following: (Whilst washing dishes or something- something so incredibly mundane- that the music practically infects you)

Symphony No. forty something: Jupiter- Mozart
Don Giovanni Commendatore Scene- Mozart
Polonaise "Heroic"- Chopin
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 Mvmt. 1
Sonata in D Major for 2 Pianos Mozart

If they like super intensity... Well obviously Liszt's Sonata in B Minor

Mozart's Requiem Mass is AWESOME.
Scriabin Etude in D# Minor is also incredible. I knew personally a guy who loved that one, after I made a CD.

If you need anything else, I'd be happy to help...

Alisha


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## symphonicrevolution (Oct 18, 2009)

I don't know if anyone's suggested this already, but you should put some Apocalyptica on there in the beginning to ease the transition from "metal" to "classical". They're a cello band from Finland who amp their cellos and play Metallica covers as well as original compositions, some of which are "classical" in sound.


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