From the category archives:

Pushing Musical Boundaries

Album Review: Rock Symphonies by David Garrett

August 24, 2010

David Garrett is a Juilliard trained violinist and composer who is committed to introducing young music fans to the classics by mixing elements of classical, rock, pop, and R&B music. His latest album, Rock Symphonies, consists of tracks ranging from rock versions of famous pieces by Bach and Beethoven to “classical” arrangements of Aerosmith and [...]

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Album review: Sting’s Symphonicities

August 18, 2010

Symphonicities is billed as 12 Sting songs which have not simply been rearranged but fully reimagined in orchestral terms. Some rock music turns into saccharine elevator music when arranged for an orchestra. However, that is not the case with this album. Sting’s songs and voice fit organically with the arrangement, and many of the songs [...]

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Rock Violin Duo The Dueling Fiddlers Teaches Violinists to Play Guns ‘n Roses’s “Sweet Child O’ Mine” in the Rockin’ Fiddle Challenge

August 10, 2010

The Dueling Fiddlers (Adam DeGraff, violin and Russell Fallstad, violin/viola) play many styles of music including classical, rock, pop, and blues. Their video of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” has received almost 30,000 views on YouTube. Now, The Dueling Fiddlers (TDF) is presenting The Rockin’ Fiddle Challenge, an educational contest which shows violinists how to rock [...]

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Don’t Miss the Last Two Concerts in Millennium Park’s Dusk Variations Series August 16 and 23rd

August 9, 2010

For the second season, Millennium Park is hosting the popular Dusk Variations Series in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. These concerts explore the intersection of classical and pop genres and their coexistence with elements of classical music, electronic, folk, pop, and rock. The first two concerts included music by Portland Cello Project (August 2) and Victoire [...]

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Can video game music boost classical music’s popularity?

August 6, 2010

Video games have come a long way from the Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Centipede games I played as a kid.  Today’s video games offer a complete multimedia experience versus the beeps and clicks from games in the 70s and 80s. Video game developers depend on quality music performed by orchestral musicians. As an active gamer, [...]

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Get Classical/Rock Violinist David Garrett’s Rock Symphonies Album for $3.99 Today on Amazon

July 20, 2010

Classical crossover violinist David Garrett is releasing his album, Rock Symphonies. It’s available for only $3.99 today on Amazon. The album showcases Garrett’s love of the classics and rock with interpretations of hits such as Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” (featuring Orianthe), “Smells like Teen Spirit” from Nirvana, and Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”. Garrett fuses classical [...]

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Risky Classical Crossover – Sting’s Symphonicities Is a Hit; Renée Fleming’s Dark Hope May Be a Miss

July 16, 2010

Pop legend Sting has ventured into the world of symphonic music with the release of his album Symphonicities , while opera diva Renée Fleming explores rock/pop with her album Dark Hope . But while Symphonicities has garnered mostly positive reviews, Dark Hope has received a tepid reaction. This may be because Sting’s album is a [...]

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Hilarious Guitar Hero Spoof -”Violin Hero” Video by Judgment Day

February 2, 2010

While browsing the Mike Portnoy forum, I came across a link to a fantastic video by string metal band Judgment Day. The band consists of brothers Anton (violin) and Lewis Patzner (cello), and Jon Bush, (drums). The “Violin Hero” video was done to the single “Cobra Strike” from the band’s upcoming album, Peacocks/Pink Monsters. The [...]

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One of the Most Amazing Classical/Metal Dream Theater Tributes You’ll Ever Hear

January 19, 2010

As a huge Dream Theater fan, I’m a proud member of the James LaBrie (lead singer) and Mike Portnoy (drummer) forums. There are several DT fans on these forums who happen to be fantastic musicians. Many of them have done covers and tributes of DT songs, but this one by French horn player Marc Papeghin [...]

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Album Review: Rodrigo y Gabriela’s 11:11

December 1, 2009

I’ve been meaning to write this for some time.   Viola gave me the new Rodrigo y Gabriela album, 11:11, for my birthday last month.  (DOH!)  In my defense, I was given A LOT of new things to listen to all at once and it has taken me a while to digest it all.  Anyhow… I [...]

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