Classical Music Turned into Prog
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Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35529
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Topic: Classical Music Turned into Prog
Posted By: Atomic_Rooster
Subject: Classical Music Turned into Prog
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 09:55
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Alright this is a thread to discuss classical music you would like to hear recorded as a prog rock piece. A successful example would be ELP's recording of Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. For you connoisseurs, i am not just referring to the classical era, but from anywhere from late Medieval period (ie Hildegard von Bingen) to Post-Romantic and Modern (ie John Cage or Phillip Glass) I personally have always wanted to hear a prog rock version of Mahler's Das Lied von Erde and i think a version of the Polovtzian Dances from Prince Igor by Borodin would be cool... as would a large part of Carl Maria von Weber's Freischutz ------------- I am but a servant of the mighty Fripp, the sound of whose loins shall forever be upon the tongues of his followers. |
Replies:
Posted By: Atomic_Rooster
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 10:17
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Here's a good one Saint-saens' Rondo Capriccioso, now that would be AWESOME ------------- I am but a servant of the mighty Fripp, the sound of whose loins shall forever be upon the tongues of his followers. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 10:19
Wagners Ring Cycle! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 10:25
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Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique!
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Posted By: el böthy
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 11:28
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Tchaikovsky´s Overture Festival 1812
------------- "You want me to play what, Robert?" 
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Posted By: Trademark
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 11:48
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Oy, If Pictures or Fanfare or The Nutrocker weren't proof enough that we just shouldn't do this, I don't know what are.
Just Say No |
Posted By: Crimson King420
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 12:16
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Mozart's Symphony No. 25
------------- Sing hymns, make love, get high, fall dead. |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 12:16
Fanfare rules!!!!!!!!!!! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Trademark wrote:Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 12:24
Try John Eliot Gardiner's version. The way he uses period instruments means (among other things): louder, more abrasive brass, and far more prominent percussion than is customary. In other words: Berlioz really ROCKS, as never before! Besides, the Symphonie Fantastique must be one of the proggiest symphonies around. But that definitely doesn't mean I'd like to hear a 'prog version' of it. And the thought of a prog band 'doing' Mahler gives me the shivers. I do think Tomita's synthesized Debussy is really cute, though! 
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Posted By: The Wizard
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 12:27
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Jethro tull - Bouree
It's the only good one I've ever heard, and it's great at that. -------------  
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 13:17
Jan Akkerman does a great updated version of John Dowland`s Britanniaon his `73 album Tabernakel with a small string section along with a modern rythm section. Very cool interpretation  .
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Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 13:46
Check:
Cozy Powell: Over The Top ------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Philéas
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 13:49
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Posted By: Dick Heath
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 13:53
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Love Sculpture's Khataturian's Sabre Dance (great bit of 60's guitar work by Dave Edmunds)
Of course Keith Emerson borrowed B Bumble & The Stinger's arrangement of Nut Rocker a hit single in 1962 or 3! Who had a hit single with Offenbach's Can Can - Peter somebody - a few years earlier?
Emerson borrowed from Dave Brubeck Quartet's interpretation of Mozart's Ronda Ala Turka
------------- The best eclectic music on the Web,8-11pm BST/GMT THURS. CLICK ON: http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php - http://www.lborosu.org.uk/media/lcr/live.php Host by PA's Dick Heath. |
Posted By: Trademark
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 13:57
| ^^ more compelling reasons to Just Say No. |
Posted By: cmidkiff
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 14:42
 Good album,.... why isn't it here?------------- cmidkiff |
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 14:46
I have been vociferous foooor the inclusion of Cozy Powell, but alas, the majority consider him even not related. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 14:46
| Einstein on the Beach, 4:33, and Pierrot Lunaire |
Posted By: The T
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 16:05
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I don't want to see any classical composition turned into prog... Let's leave classical music like it is. Let's create completely original prog pieces and songs... stop the "remake" (this is what it is in a way) culture and start CREATING.
Anyway, I can't think of one. I really don't like classical-made-modern... Also, if I like prog-rock is because I like that, prog-rock. ------------- 
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Posted By: thellama73
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 16:05
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Ha! 4:33, would be a great prog piece. As a side note, I'd like to voice an annoyance of mine before someone else brings it up. Just because a track is called "Bolero" does not make it a version of Ravel's Bolero. A bolero is a dance that uses a particular rhythmic figure (as on King Crimson's Lizard). I've sen this mistake made dozens of times and it always really bugs me. </rant> -------------
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Posted By: Landaughost
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 17:38
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Rendering European music from any period as "progressive rock" is not an interesting endeavour at all! Performing Bach's music on the synthesizer or invoking from the percussion an up-beat tempo to a 16th-century pavane does neither reveal new possibilities in interpretation nor does it make that performance "progressive rock" at all. For music to be progressive a necessary condition is to synthesize and advance the established musical experience, not just reproduce it.
"No need to think in order to put a text to music. The music is inherent in the text itself. Meditate on it and the music shall come out" --- William Byrd
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Posted By: Atomic_Rooster
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 22:58
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i'm not suggesting that anyone should do a crappy arrangement, ie just playing it on a synth lol, im saying it would be cool to hear a good arrangement of a classical piece for a progressive rock band, for instance: the Carl Palmer band did an amazing rendition of a Prokofiev piece in a prog-metal style, it was not just a loud guitar-driven version, but was well-arranged for the three-piece band, to create a great prog piece and a cool twist on a classic song. It is, perhaps, to recreate the classical sensibility within a modern frame. ------------- I am but a servant of the mighty Fripp, the sound of whose loins shall forever be upon the tongues of his followers. |
Posted By: Mikeypoo
Date Posted: March 15 2007 at 23:35
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i would LOVE (although id be timid about it at first) to hear a rendition of Beethoven's moonlight sonota, particularly the third movement. IMHO the best song writin yet, so far, in history. love beethoven. some of Chopin's stuff would be very interesting to hear as well as some Brahms or Shumman. ------------- 
"music expresses that which cannot be put into words, and that which cannot remain silent" |
Posted By: Landaughost
Date Posted: March 16 2007 at 06:42
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You are missing my point. Arrangements on the synthesizer are not necessarily "crappy". They may be really interesting. The practice of arranging itself is not important because it does not offer anything new. However interesting such an arrangement may be it hardly ever challenges established interpretations by classical artists.
I am not familiar with Carl Palmer's rendition of Prokofiev's music but I shall make a reference to Bob Jame's "Scarlati Dialogues" released back in 1989. Although his arrangements of Domenico Scarlati's music for the synthesizer are outstanding, critically acclaimed even by classical performers and indeed great fun to listen to, although they brought jazz and latin-american elements into Scarlati's music they still do not transcend the established interpretations of Scarlati's keyboard music either on the piano or on the harpsichord.
By the way, could anyone of you gentlemen explain a reason that the "Scarlati Dialogues" has never been considered "Progressive Rock"?
"No need to think in order to put a text to music. The music is inherent in the text itself. Meditate on it and the music shall come out" --- William Byrd
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Posted By: Big Ears
Date Posted: March 19 2007 at 09:06
| I miss ELP's adaptions of classical music. Knife Edge is as heavy as anything I can think of. |
Posted By: Prog.Sylvie
Date Posted: March 19 2007 at 09:50
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At least, ELP with their own adaptations of classical music, made us discover Classical music in the seventies, at least for those who did not know a thing about it while they were teenagers. The first time that I attended a concert with a full symphonic orchestra, it was ELP show at the Olympic Stadium with orchestra. Thirty years ago this year. ELP helped demistify classical music and made it accessible for young people. ------------- C'est la vie |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: March 19 2007 at 10:10
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damn.... a page and a half and this hasn't been mentioned... Canarios - Ciclos (Vivaldi's Four Seasons) sounding like DB here but seriously.. not all great prog came out of England people  ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: March 19 2007 at 10:29
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Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: March 19 2007 at 18:56
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Gyorgy Ligeti's Lux Aeterna, not by a prog band, but by a Doom Metal one.
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Posted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: March 20 2007 at 00:57
I agree with your entire post, completely. Good job. |
Posted By: FruMp
Date Posted: March 20 2007 at 01:46
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mekong delta do good thrash adaptations of classical music.
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Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: March 20 2007 at 11:41
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Posted By: Penumbra
Date Posted: March 20 2007 at 13:47
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I agree with the "leave classical as is" camp; re-arranging things isn't terribly original after a while. However, human music has gone through such a span over the last four hundred years, so it is inevitable some things may get repeated. If I don't want to be a party pooper, though, I'd have to say ... the first movement of Shostakovich's 7th Symphony. It changes itself around quite a bit in three sections... so why not have a prog epic based on its twenty-seven minutes? Oh wait, because Yes already created a highly original twenty-three minute piece akin to that. It's called Gates of Delirium: something original, not a re-do. This idea frustrates me as much as comic books being turned into movies. I'm just a cultural conservative I suppose. :D ------------- The Holy Trinity of Symphonic Progressive Rock 
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Posted By: micky
Date Posted: March 20 2007 at 13:57
oh really.... granted it's not a classical lift or redo... but it is not original. Look to a band that some people think is overestimated... ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: Atomic_Rooster
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 01:27
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How about a version of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto as an electric guitar concerto ------------- I am but a servant of the mighty Fripp, the sound of whose loins shall forever be upon the tongues of his followers. |
Posted By: Uroboros
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 08:06
Stuart Hamm did an adaptation for solo bass (guitar) on his '88 album, Radio Free Albemuth. He's Satriani's bassist, among many other collaborations.
I'm also thinking of the Hackett brothers' album Sketches of Satie, with pieces for acoustic guitar and flute. ------------- Tous les chemins qui s’ouvrent à moi ne mènent à rien si tu n’es plus là |
Posted By: paolo.beenees
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 08:40
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Apart from The Four Seasons, I'd like to listen to some rendering of Vivaldi's concertos (above all, the ones for mandulin: the only one I can remember is the adagio from Concerto in D major remade by Steve Howe) ------------- 
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Posted By: ClassicRocker
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 12:07
SWEETNESS!  ------------- 
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Posted By: Castlevania
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 12:37
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I've always wanted to arrange sections of The Rite Of Spring for my rock band. Full sections though, not just little motifs like in Working All Day.
William Walton's Viola Concerto would be an AWESOME piece performed by a rock band, someone should get on it! |
Posted By: Garion81
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 13:54
Don't forget the excellent arrangement of the shorter Farandole by Bizet that LS did. That was more impressive to me Sabre Dance.
Edmunds mentioned in his liner notes of his collection set that LS had played with The Nice and was trying to do on guitar what he had heard Emerson doing on Organ.
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"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
Posted By: progismylife
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 17:57
A good one (one of my personal favorites) is Fugue in D Minor by Egg. It's awesome! 
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Posted By: Certif1ed
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 18:19
Are you familiar with the Butchershop Quartet's version? ------------- The important thing is not to stop questioning. |
Posted By: Csejthe
Date Posted: May 06 2007 at 18:45
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Fireballet - Night on Bald Mountain. Not a redo, but it does use it as the base. Very good. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/VomitalxX"> 
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Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: May 07 2007 at 08:09
Oh, yeah! Some of the best progressive music of all time is Brubeck's version of Ronda a la Turk! And that was recorded in 1959!
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Posted By: maups2
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 03:57
Yeah I got the idea to do that too. I started writing the arrangement (for 2 guitar, bass, drum) and I think I got the first 5 or 6 minutes of it written out and then my computer crashed and I lost it.  I spent too much time on it to start over, but those 5 or 6 minutes were sweet! |
Posted By: Topographic
Date Posted: May 09 2007 at 05:58
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Personally, I absolutely love the prog adaptations of classical works.
I think it was ELP's "The Barbarian", off their very first album that
got me really hooked on the idea. Out of the classical pieces I'd like to see done in prog style, there's a few fairly obscure ones, namely the Sederunt principes by the 12th Century French composer Perotin. It just absolutely rocks. I think that there's some prime candidates in Darius Milhaud's string quartets as well, namely the second movement of Quartet No. 2 or the third movement of Quartet No. 4. And of course, since King Crimson and Emerson Lake and Powell covered "Mars" from Holst's The Planets, why not cover some of the other movements? I think Uranus would work particularly well. Bartok's stuff generally seems to be quite conducive as well--particularly the fifth movement of his Fourth String Quartet. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you. -Topographic ------------- Have you rearranged your liver to the solid mental grace today? |