SYMPHONIC ROCK

'Symphonic rock' is a subgenre of rock music, and more specifically, progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has sometimes been used to distinguish the more sophisticated classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental offerings, though some use the term to refer to any type of progressive rock.
In recent years, symphonic rock has been more clearly recognized as one of a number of progressive rock subgenres, although the lines that separate symphonic rock from other types of progressive rock are often difficult to see, since relatively few progressive bands ever set out to make a symphonic album, as opposed to a progressive one. Symphonic rock is more often a device that a progressive band may employ on certain tracks when it is appropriate to the concept of the piece, while other tracks on the album may or may not feature anything of a symphonic or classical nature.
This makes it difficult to pigeon hole any progressive band as being specifically a symphonic rock band, with the exception of rare bands such as Renaissance, England's The Enid, and Switzerland's Flame Dream who used symphonic orchestration and classical styles in almost every composition, clearly embracing what is the principle of the term.
Some of the best examples of a completely symphonic rock album are done by artists who are better known for other types of music. For example, Jon Lord, who has composed symphonic rock concertos and suites as solo projects, is better known as a member of the hard rock band Deep Purple. Joe Jackson, who is better known in the New Wave genre, has recently released a rock symphony. Alan Stivell's Celtic Symphony (1979) is mainly based on the fusion of Rock and Symphonic music, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, primarily known as a musical theatre artist, has composed an album of rock variations on a theme by Paganini.

Contents

Attributes of symphonic rock

Artists

Other selected works

See also

Attributes of symphonic rock

Symphonic rock is best described as the combining of rock and classical music traditions. Classical devices often employed in symphonic rock include the following.

★ Rock arrangements of themes from classical music.

★ Classical composition structures.

★ The accompaniment of a symphony orchestra.

★ Use of classical instruments, such as cello and harpsichord.

★ Higher complexity than other types of rock and popular music.

★ Elaborate compositions in the formats of concertos, suites, symphonies, tone poems and operas.

★ Prominent use of the synthesizer as a substitute for symphonic orchestration.

Artists

Recording acts who make or have made prominent use of symphonic rock include:

★ The Alan Parsons Project ★ Albatross ★ Anathallo ★ Apocalyptica ★ Ayreon ★ Barclay James Harvest ★ Banzai ★ Camel ★ Cathedral ★ Deep Purple ★ Devil Doll ★ Echolyn ★ Electric Light Orchestra ★ Emerson, Lake and Palmer ★ Enchant ★ Esperanto ★ Europe ★ Evanescence ★ Frank Zappa ★ The Flaming Lips ★ Flame Dream ★ Focus ★ Genesis ★ Gentle Giant ★ Glass Hammer ★ Go ★ Gordon Giltrap ★ Greenslade ★ Il Rovescio della Medaglia

★ Kansas ★ Lana Lane ★ Little Tragedies ★ LongShot ★ Malice Mizer ★ Mannheim Steamroller ★ Mike Oldfield ★ Mithrandir ★ Moi dix Mois ★ The Moody Blues ★ New Age ★ New Trolls ★ Nightwish ★ Nirvana (the original UK band) ★ Pete Townshend ★ Pink Floyd ★ The Polyphonic Spree ★ Pentwater ★ Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) ★ Procol Harum ★ Queen ★ Rainbow ★ Renaissance ★ Rick Wakeman ★ Salem Hill

★ Sky ★ Starcastle ★ Styx ★ Trans-Siberian Orchestra ★ TriPod ★ Virgin Black ★ Waterclime ★ Welcome ★ WeltenBrand ★ Within Temptation ★ X Japan ★ Yes ★ Yezda Urfa

Certain neo-prog bands, such as Glass Hammer, Apocalypse, and Par Lindh Project, continue the traditions of 70's symphonic rock.
However, symphonic rock has never been exclusive to progressive rock artists. In the late 1960s, The Who presented the first rock opera, and in the 1970s, many popular artists experimented with symphonic rock, such as Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Gino Vannelli and Stevie Wonder. Symphonic rock is also often heard on movie and video game soundtracks.
One of the most successful bands to employ symphonic rock as a regular feature was The Electric Light Orchestra.
In more recent times, new rock genres have revived the idea of fusing classical music with rock music, such as the power metal band Rhapsody of Fire, the Japanese visual kei band Malice Mizer, symphonic black metal bands like Dimmu Borgir or Emperor and the theatrical rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Juilliard-trained Michael Kamen successfully orchestrated music for such artists as Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Queen, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, The Who, Aerosmith, Tom Petty, David Bowie, Eurythmics, Queensrÿche, Rush, Metallica, Herbie Hancock, The Cranberries, Bryan Adams, Sting and Kate Bush. In the late 1990s, the London Symphony Orchestra produced a series of symphonic rock albums, and in the early 2000s, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra also produced a series with the shopping firm Marks and Spencer called ''Symphonic Rock'' which featured many classic rock songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Everybody Hurts, Bittersweet Symphony and Bat out of Hell. In 1996, Trans-Siberian Orchestra was founded which took Christmas music and turned it into the rock sensation it is today. Today, the group has four albums, a DVD and a trilogy available. The albums are entitled: Christmas Eve and Other Stories, The Christmas Attic, The Lost Christmas Eve and Beethoven's Last Night. They are currently working on another album entitled Night Castle.

Other selected works

★ Ayreon, Ambeon, Star One, Stream of Passion -- all works of Arjen Anthony Lucassen.

★ The Italian Progressive Rock scene with such bands as Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. This genre's output was mainly concentrated around the years 1972-1974. Arguably, it was quite more symphonic than its English-speaking counterparts, with significantly more acoustic instrumentation, but was fairly similar in sound. It is, more or less, only considered a separate category due it's Italian lyrics and the background and cultures behind the scene.

★ Disarm and Tonight, Tonight by The Smashing Pumpkins

★ The José Cid album 10,000 Anos Depois Entre Venus E Marte released in 1978. It consists of a progressive concept album, considered by Billboard magazine to be in the top 100 progressive albums, and by many to be one of the Mellotron masterpieces. Cid's style on the record is very similar to the French take on symphonic rock with lots of string synths, Mellotron and a very simple melodic style. The guitar work works well with the keyboards. Lyrics are sung in native Portuguese. Most of the songs, influenced by a sort of mix combining The Moody Blues and Pink Floyd psychedelia were composed by Cid, some of them with the help of bass player Mike Sargent and drummer Ramon Galarza.

★ ''Danse Macabre'', the second album released by Esperanto, clearly influenced the first album of the Alan Parsons Project, ''Tales of Mystery and Imagination''.

★ Sountracks by the Italian clique-rock ensemble Goblin. Specifically soundtracks for Dario Argento horror films such as ''Suspiria'', ''Phenomena'', and ''Non Ho Sonno (''Sleepless'').

★ The Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós.

★ Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé's 1988 album Barcelona.

★ Scorpions' 2000 album Moment of Glory.

★ Julius Dobos introduced film score-like approach and the electronic sounds of the late '90s to progressive rock (mixed with the traditional symphonic and rock elements of the genre) on his 1999 album Mountain Flying recorded with Sebestyen Marta and the NHS Orchestra.

★ Robert Beriau "The Cycle of Love; Part 1 to 4" (2005 album "Falling back to where I began")[1]

★ Collective Soul's 2006 album, ''Home'', recorded live in April 2005 with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.

See also

★ Symphonic metal

★ Neo-classical metal

★ Wagnerian rock

★ Piano rock

★ Progressive rock

★ Art rock

★ List of popular songs based on classical music.