# Converting a Metalhead (me) to Classical Music



## NeanderthalMetalHead (May 21, 2011)

Sorry if this appears similar to the thread asking for a melancholic rock feel, but I think my request is a bit different.

I just ran across the symphonic versions of a few Septic Flesh songs released with a special edition of their latest album. For those who don't know, Septic Flesh is a Greek Symphonic Death Metal band who has worked with the Philharmonic of Prague for their two latest albums. Their music is intense and brooding.

Here's Ocean's of Grey (Orchestral): 



And Ocean's of Grey (Full Band): 



This song isn't the best example, but it's all I could find on youtube.

I'm looking for any classical music that can deliver similar amounts of aggression and explosiveness. Pounding horns and stabbing strings. All that stuff a neanderthal metal head like me would drool over.

Looking forward to any recommendations!


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

They are thin on the ground. Your best bet is for isolated segments of movie music - not classical.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Listen to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. If that doesn't convert you, I don't know what will.


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## NeanderthalMetalHead (May 21, 2011)

Hilltroll72 said:


> They are thin on the ground. Your best bet is for isolated segments of movie music - not classical.


I was afraid of getting an answer like this.



tdc said:


> Listen to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. If that doesn't convert you, I don't know what will.


Lovely. Thank you!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Hmmm - sorry, that orchestral version borders on wimpy to me. Try this:
Prokofiev - The Pagan God Dances with the Black Spirits.

or this:
Alberto Ginastera - Piano Concerto No. 1, movement 4


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## NeanderthalMetalHead (May 21, 2011)

Weston said:


> Hmmm - sorry, that orchestral version borders on wimpy to me. Try this:
> Prokofiev - The Pagan God Dances with the Black Spirits.
> 
> or this:
> Alberto Ginastera - Piano Concerto No. 1, movement 4


To be fair, the Orchestral version is simply the full version with the guitar, bass, drum kit, and vocals removed. It isn't really intended to stand alone.
I'll get right on these once I'm done listening to Rite of Spring. The ending of the Adoration of Earth Section is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again, tdc!


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## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Stabbing strings:





Pounding horns:


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

Any metalhead who doesn't like Mahler must be deaf. Symphonies 6, 7 and 9 are the best bets. Epic in scope, full of tragedy, grotesque humor and fatalism, and should be right up your alley.


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## notesetter (Mar 31, 2011)

Soviet Composer Alexander Mosolov wrote a short tone poem called "Iron Foundry" that is very evocative of its subject.





Swiss composer Arthur Honegger wrote "Pacific 231" to portray the power and presence of a steam locomotive starting up, racing down the tracks and then fighting inertia to come to a stop.






Honegger also wrote his "Liturgical Symphony" - in the aftermath of World War 2. The first movement, "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath) features some of the most violent writing for just the conventional orchestral instruments - a real tour de force of screaming horns, piledriving low brass and swirling winds and strings.






Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich wrote his 8th Symphony in the middle of World War 2. It is filled with bitterness and violence that reflects the horrible experiences shared by the Russian people during the first part of the war. The 3rd movement portrays the Soviet army "on the march". It's a wild "perpetuum mobile" that reflects the resolve and powerthat would eventually win the war. Here is the work's dedicatee, Evgeny Mravinsky, conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic:






If you're looking for classical music that just keeps continuously hitting you over the head, I'm not sure you're going to find anything of lasting value. I agree with a previous poster that you investigate some Mahler symphonies. In Mahler, as with many other composers, the impact of many works is as much in what you don't hear, as what you actually hear. Experiencing the whole work will reveal its message.

During Mahler's lifetime his popularity suffered because many didn't understand his message. "What's with all this depressing music?" was a typical reaction. By 1960, when the "Mahler boom" got underway, people did get his message, reflecting back on 50 years of truly horrific human events.

Just my rambling more than 2 cents worth.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> I'm looking for any classical music that can deliver similar amounts of aggression and explosiveness. Pounding horns and stabbing strings. All that stuff a neanderthal metal head like me would drool over.


This isn't "convertion" by no means. Convertion will take place when/if you will grow out of this silly approach that makes you search for music that "kicks ***". You should try music of completely diffrent kind to see if such thing can happen, listen to some classical music that doesn't appeal to primitive drives, listen to "boring", non-bombastic music of Mozart and others then perhaps you will be saved, with a bit of determination and sensitivity.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I disagree. When I was younger shortly after the great dinosaur extinction, I looked for music that kicked *** and found it in Beethoven, Dvorak and others. There's nothing silly about Beethoven (if we ignore Wellington's Victory). If one then moves on to more lyrical pieces, that should be a natural unforced progression.


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

Glad you like that - the Rite is the most powerful visceral music across all genres in all history, IMHO. But get a good interpretation, like Yoel Levi/Atlanta or Seiji Ozawa/Chicago. And crank it up to 11.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

> I disagree. When I was younger shortly after the great dinosaur extinction, I looked for music that kicked *** and found it in Beethoven, Dvorak and others. There's nothing silly about Beethoven (if we ignore Wellington's Victory). If one then moves on to more lyrical pieces, that should be a natural unforced progression.


I guess Aramis' point is to understand a work on its own virtues, not just to pick and choose some bombastic pieces and never go further. Which is sensible, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a certain atmosphere a lot of great music just doesn't provide. Probably best to leave OP's sensibilities alone and let him listen to what he wants.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

regressivetransphobe said:


> Any metalhead who doesn't like Mahler must be deaf. Symphonies 6, 7 and 9 are the best bets. Epic in scope, full of tragedy, grotesque humor and fatalism, and should be right up your alley.


I'd add 2, 3 and 5 to this list, the OP really may as well pick up all the Mahler Symphonies IMO they are a must have. 
Bruckner 9 is also worth checking out.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

regressivetransphobe said:


> I guess Aramis' point is to understand a work on its own virtues, not just to pick and choose some bombastic pieces and never go further. Which is sensible, but sometimes I'm in the mood for a certain atmosphere a lot of great music just doesn't provide. Probably best to leave OP's sensibilities alone and let him listen to what he wants.


_My_ guess re _Aramis'_ point is that music that is just "kick ***" is one dimensional; experiencing music 'through a glass darkly'.

I lay the responsibility for this attitude on Combat Video Games.

:tiphat:


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## Chromeless (May 21, 2011)

Aramis said:


> This isn't "convertion" by no means. Convertion will take place when/if you will grow out of this silly approach that makes you search for music that "kicks ***". You should try music of completely diffrent kind to see if such thing can happen, listen to some classical music that doesn't appeal to primitive drives, listen to "boring", non-bombastic music of Mozart and others then perhaps you will be saved, with a bit of determination and sensitivity.


I have to say that this attitude annoys me. You seem to believe that simply because someone listens to music that concentrates on a single feeling that they must be an emotional/intelectual retard. I understand why you might think that, but I can assure you that this is not the case. The ability to percieve the emotional complexity of music is completely seperate from normal emotional 'sense' and the shear fact that someone happens to enjoy listening to heavy music is absolutely not a sign of immaturity. The shear fact that this 'Neanderthal' is open-minded enough to look here for other music that he might enjoy should say something at least. If you want to encourace other people to explore more deeply emotional music I certainly have no problem with that, but insulting them is hardly the best way to achieve that.

Neanderthal, getting into classical musical through sonic intensity is perfectly ok and don't let any one who tells you otherwise get to you. However, if you really want to explore the full emotional intensity of western music, you will need to learn to percieve contrasts in musical structure (i.e. heavy parts leading soft parts and vice-versa while the music continues to flow). This is not something that you can force yourself to appreciate, and until you can Mozart's chamber music will offer you absolutely nothing. There is no need to force yourself to listen to music that you simply hate, however you will often find that music which bores you a bit when you first listen will become more and more intense the more you listen to it.

Anyway I recommend listening to this:






This short piece is a great introduction to the heavier organ fugues, though you will need a sound system with strong CLEAR base to get the full effect of organ works. It's called a fugue because the musical theme you hear at the beginning actually repeats over itself in diffrent forms throughout the piece, though you will need to listen to it multiple times to hear each repetition. Understanding the musical structure will amplify the impact of the music.






This is a good example of Vivaldi's concert music, a particulary powerful interpritation by Yo-Yo Ma. The 'sorrowful' sounding violin parts will proably me somewhat irritating if you aren't used to them, but you will likely find alot to appriciate in Vivaldi if you explore him.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

Hilltroll72 said:


> _My_ guess re _Aramis'_ point is that music that is just "kick ***" is one dimensional; experiencing music 'through a glass darkly'.
> 
> I lay the responsibility for this attitude on Combat Video Games.
> 
> :tiphat:


Funny how threads asking for "peaceful music" or something one-dimensional like that never get any hecklers, though, hmm? Trolling those threads doesn't raise one's forum social status enough, I guess.

:tiphat:


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

regressivetransphobe said:


> Funny how threads asking for "peaceful music" or something one-dimensional like that never get any hecklers, though, hmm? Trolling those threads doesn't raise one's forum social status enough, I guess.
> 
> :tiphat:


People who are devoid of humor maybe ought to avoid using "funny".

:cheers:


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

you would probably quite like my playlist i made on 8track:

http://8tracks.com/lordblackudder/epic-choral


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> I have to say that this attitude annoys me. You seem to believe that simply because someone listens to music that concentrates on a single feeling that they must be an emotional/intelectual retard.


 No, I think they view music in very narrow context and if they want to progress, be "converted" then their major goal is to break away from it. I still remember by own "conversion" very well and I've also listened to rock and metal at some point.


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## NeanderthalMetalHead (May 21, 2011)

I'm a bit overwhelmed at the response! Looks like I have a lot of listening to get done.
Also, to those that mentioned Mahler and Wagner, I'm already somewhat familiar with both, but I will definitely be revisiting them soon.



bassClef said:


> Glad you like that - the Rite is the most powerful visceral music across all genres in all history, IMHO. But get a good interpretation, like Yoel Levi/Atlanta or Seiji Ozawa/Chicago. And crank it up to 11.


I picked up Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony orchestra out of pure chance. Got lucky, I guess
http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Fireworks-Petrouchka-Chicago-Symphony/dp/B00000I9MQ



Aramis said:


> No, I think they view music in very narrow context and if they want to progress, be "converted" then their major goal is to break away from it. I still remember by own "conversion" very well and I've also listened to rock and metal at some point.


I actually chose this handle as a joke thinking I'd get people judging my taste. And here you are!

Anyway, don't look too much into my word choice. I'm not looking to overhaul my taste in music, just to expand a little based on some common ground. Maybe one day my tastes will be as sophisticated as yours, but until then I'll keep to my lowbrow blastbeats and the occasional classical composer.

:devil:


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliette has an orchestral explosion that make everything else look like lollipop (Charles Dutoit & NHK Symphony Orchestra offer the best recording & interpretation). Prokofiev's Ivan the Terrible has choir singing that has a chilling roughness that will make Neanderthalers feel at home. Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky has a climax on a frozen lake with violins turning into razorsharp skates and a collision... Prokofiev's le pas d'acier is metal headbanging without end. Stravinsky I consider to be a softie.


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

NeanderthalMetalHead said:


> I picked up Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony orchestra out of pure chance. Got lucky, I guess
> http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Fireworks-Petrouchka-Chicago-Symphony/dp/B00000I9MQ


Yep that's a good one. I have around 20 or more interpretations and that's one of my favourites.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Suggesting Stravinky could potentially be frustrating to those who seek orchestral heavy metal. Le Sacre is, of course, a good recommndation, but it's the only work of its type in Stravinsky's oeuvre, except for fleeting moments in The Firebird.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Tapkaara said:


> Suggesting Stravinky could potentially be frustrating to those who seek orchestral heavy metal. Le Sacre is, of course, a good recommndation, but it's the only work of its type in Stravinsky's oeuvre, except for fleeting moments in The Firebird.


Yeah. Not much is what 'thin on the ground' means.


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