Richard Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (1869-1876)

Götterdämmerung

The other day I mentioned Wagner in a review of a Septicflesh album. There's good reason for that. As observed in the documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, Richard Wagner was metal a century before metal existed. So it occurred to me that it was essentially a crime that I had never listened to The Ring Cycle, a.k.a. Der Ring des Nibelungen, and I sought to rectify that situation.

I had tried to listen to Wagner before, Tristan und Isolde, specifically, and I wasn't impressed. But after doing my homework, I discovered a couple of things. One, you really need to get a good recording to appreciate it. I had bought a bargain bin copy of that opera, so I missed the mark there. Two, you need to listen to it at very high volume. Once again, I missed that the first go-around. So I did even more homework, and found the Daniel Barenboim-directed version of the entire cycle and turned the volume way, way up.

In a word, it's sublime.

Xenakis Is Metal

[Y]ou have the good fortune of being Greek, of being an architect and having studied special mathematics. Take advantage of these things. Do them in your music.

--advice given to Xenakis early in his musical career

I first heard about Iannis Xenakis when he was name-dropped by SepticFlesh as an influence on their style. Metal points in his favor: +10.

In his early 20's, he was involved in street fighting against British tanks. He was shot in the face by a tank shell and survived, one eye down and seriously scarred on the left side of his face. Don't re-read that section. He was shot, in the face, by a tank shell. Metal points in his favor: +10,000.

For his part in resisting the monarchy's efforts at restoration, he was sentenced to death, in absentia. I think we can pretty much stop counting his metal points here.

Schoenberg Is Metal

"My music is not lovely."

Photo by Florence Homolka

When a co-worker asked me about my favorite classical composer a couple years ago, I responded that it was Tchaikovsky. His symphonies can be exceedingly dark, so that attracted me. My co-worker responded that it was a good choice--he was afraid I was going to say something crazy, like Schoenberg. Naturally, that piqued my interest. I picked some up, after a bit of research, and soon informed my co-worker that I loved it.

"Of course you do."

Austrian-born composer Arnold Schoenberg is quoted as saying, "My music is not lovely." Instantly, metalheads should have an appreciation for him. You need another reason? He also said, ". . . if it is art, it is not for all, and if it is for all, it is not art."

Vivaldi: "Summer"

As some of the commenters noted on my list of the most metal classical compositions, I missed a few. Well, I had to narrow the field somehow. Anyway, the third movement of Vivaldi's "Summer" is metal as hell (much of "Summer" and "Winter" are metal)--and given the heat wave going through most of the country right now, it seems appropriate.

The 10 Most Metal Classical Compositions

Top 10 List

Classical music can be pretty dull and pretty. But it can also be metal as fuck. It's been observed many times that classical and metal have many similarities. But as a metalhead who doesn't know much about the masters, it can be pretty tough to know where to start. Research has found that metalheads and classical music fans share a lot of personality traits.

Apart from the age differences, they were virtually identical . . . . Both were more creative than other people, both were not terribly outgoing and they were also quite at ease. . . . There's also a sense of theatre which is common with both groups.

Given all that, we should be able to find even more common ground. So, here are the ten most metal classical compositions. Some you may already know, but unless you studied classical music there should be something new in here for you.

10: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: "Requiem Mass in D Minor" (1791)



Mozart's "Requiem Mass" is dark and dramatic. It was originally intended for church services, as the title suggests. No matter what you think of the Catholic Church, they know dramatic art that strikes a visceral chord.