Classical music and heavy metal — what could possibly be more different? …Actually, are they?
Both genres are a little out of the mainstream yet attract a cult-like following of passionate fans. Both can be shockingly loud (at least with a massive symphony orchestra). Both have influenced each other, from Glenn Branca’s symphonies for electric guitars to classical themes in heavy metal songs, such as Holst’s “Mars, the Bringer of War” from “The Planets” quoted in Metallica’s track “Am I Evil?”
So if classical and heavy metal aren’t that far apart after all, what classical tracks might be the most ferocious, mind-bending, face-melting music to interest the metalheads in your life? Here are four of our favorite suggestions:
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, 4th Movement
Let’s not mince words: this track slaps. From the pounding timpani that opens the movement to the blazing violins in D minor, this work flies like a bat out of hell. And just when it seems like it can’t get any faster or more fierce, there it is — accelerando. Just don’t headbang to the incessant repeated A at the end or you might need a chiropractor.
And if Shostakovich’s orchestration wasn’t metal enough, try this:
Wagner: “Das Rheingold,” Scene IV
Wagner’s “Ring” and heavy metal go together like beer and bratwurst. But rather than make the easy choice of “The Ride of the Valkyries,” we opted for Scene IV from “Das Rheingold”: Donner calls out, “Sultrily mists float in the air; heavy hangeth the glomy weight! Ye hovering clouds, come now with lightning and thunder and sweep the heavens clear!” As mist surrounds him, Donner swings his hammer onto a gigantic rock, and with a thunderous clang, a flash of lightning streaks across the sky to part the mists and reveal a magnificent rainbow bridge to Valhalla. What could be more metal than that?
Stravinsky: “The Rite of Spring”
Images of primordial Russia. A virgin sacrifice. A literal riot at the world premiere. Few if any works in the classical canon are as savage and violent as “The Rite of Spring.” It’s no wonder metalheads and classical aficionados alike cite it as one of the great works of the 20th century (well, that and Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”). The ferocious conclusion of Part I is truly a headbanger’s ball.
Hanson: Symphony No. 6, 6th Movement
Last but not least, a dark horse contender from American symphonist Howard Hanson. Known better for his warm and syrupy romantic early works, his Sixth Symphony concludes with a powerful shot of adrenaline. No less than metalhead Leif Segerstam (at least we think he might be a metalhead) chose it for his 1997 album “Earthquake: The Loudest Classical Music of All Time.”
Now your turn. What do you think are the most metal tracks in classical music?
