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 been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental offerings.

Symphonic rock is best described as the combination of rock and classical music traditions. Some artists perform rock arrangements of themes from classical music, or compose original pieces in classical composition structures. Others play with the accompaniment of a symphony orchestra or use a synthesizer to emulate orchestral instruments. London Symphony Orchestra started their Symphonic Rock project known as Classic Rock or Rock Symphonies without any mixing or synthesized changes.

Symphonic rock is not an orchestral rendition of hit Rock and Pop songs by classical orchestras; these can be considered "classical arrangements of contemporary music", though these are at times marketed as "symphonic rock" by various outlets.

Attributes of symphonic rock

Symphonic rock can be 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 strings, harpsichord, and woodwinds
• Higher complexity than other types of rock and pop
• Elaborate compositions in the formats of concertos, suites, symphonies, tone poems and operas
• Prominent use of the synthesizer as a substitute for symphonic orchestration
• larger thematic content than usual rock or soul music

Artists

According to critic Bruce Elder, "Back in 1970, it seemed as though any British group that could was starting to utilize classical elements in their work." As early as 1967, the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" incorporated significant orchestral passages. In the same year, The Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed, especially the popular single "Nights in White Satin", merged rock playing with orchestral accompaniment.

The Beach Boys is a pioneer, because the 1965 albums contains strong elements of classical music. In 1966 with the art rock album Pet Sounds, Smile unrealized project and Smiley Smile. Good Vibrations of 1966 is a perfect exemple.

The 70s group Yes produced a highly successful blend of classical, psychedelic, and progressive ensemble rock. Their approach was similar to classical music; each instrument played its own melodic line to generate a grand musical theme. The words (vocals) in the songs were treated as just another instrument in the composition. This led to long difficult passages and complicated simultaneous solos, including percussion. Only their considerable musical skills allowed them to "keep it together". Purists consider Yes as a 'Prog' band only, but several of their albums contain a lot of symphonic elements. ^[1]

Groups such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer [and prior to them the Nice] performed classical compositions such as Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition with electric instrumentation, while others such as the Electric Light Orchestra played rock music with orchestral backing. Likewise, Jon Lord of the hard rock band Deep Purple wrote a Concerto for Group and Orchestra.

Pink Floyd, one of the world's most popular Rock groups, is usually not included in the symphonic rock genre, because they come off to critics as too much "psychedelic" and not enough "orchestral" in their sound. Perhaps they sound too "normal" because mainstream rock has imitated them so much.

Certain neo-prog bands, such as Glass Hammer, Apocalypse, and Par Lindh Project,and Switzerland's Flame Dream 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 such as Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Gino Vannelli and Stevie Wonder experimented with symphonic rock. Symphonic rock is often heard on movie and video game soundtracks.

Some of the best examples of exclusively symphonic rock albums are by artists who are better known for other types of music.

• The Christian rock band Skillet recently released their 8th studio album, Awake, under the symphonic rock genre. Their sound has been known most as hard rock due to their two previous albums.
• 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, composed Variations, an album of rock variations on a theme by Paganini.

Other selected works

2000s

• Ayreon, Ambeon, Star One, Stream of Passion -- all works of Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
• Robert Beriau "The Cycle of Love; Part 1 to 4" (2005 album "Falling back to where I began")[1]
• Collective Soul's album, Home, recorded live in April 2005 with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.
• Goblin an Italian clique-rock ensemble . Specifically soundtracks for Dario Argento horror films such as Suspiria, Phenomena, and Non ho Sonno (Sleepless).
• KISS' 2003 live album Kiss Symphony: Alive IV, in cooperation with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
• Muse, Absolution, most tracks - most notably "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and the 2009 album The Resistance contains numerous tracks with classical influences and even includes a symphony, "Exogenesis", split into three separate tracks as a conclusion to the album.
• Scorpions' 2000 album Moment of Glory, in cooperation with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
• Sigur Rós The Icelandic post-rock band .
• Pain of Salvation 2004 BE Progressive rock with many other influences, featuring a 9 part orchestra, also a live rock opera performance

1990s

• 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.
• Kansas Always Never the Same,1998, with The London Symphony Orchestra.
• Metallica's 1999 album S&M, in cooperation with the San Francisco Symphony.

• Trans-Siberian Orchestra, founded in 1996, took Christmas music and turned it into the rock sensation it is today.

1980s

• Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé's 1988 album, Barcelona.

1970s

• Alan Parsons Project, Tales of Mystery and Imagination combined Symphonic Rock with ambient disco beats and dark subject matter based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

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

• Electric Light Orchestra One of the most successful bands to employ symphonic rock as a regular feature. Eldorado and A New World Record are considered their best work.
• The Enid's 1976 album In the Region of the Summer Stars.
• José Cid 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 mixture of 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.
• The Italian progressive rock scene in general, 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 distinct category due to its Italian lyrics and the background and cultures behind the scene.
• New Trolls' album Concerto grosso per i New Trolls (1971) was the first and by far the most successful symphonic rock record ever produced in Italy. It perfectly blended the modern style of a rock band (powerful drumming and virtuosistic electric guitar solos) with the complex musical arrangements of a baroque orchestra. This album also introduced the use of prominent vocal harmonizations, anticipating what was to become the trademark of later bands such as Queen. In 1976, New Trolls published the follow-up to their famed album, titled Concerto grosso no. 2. This output was a little more commercial and pop-music oriented. Finally, around thirty years later, in 2007 the reformed New Trolls published a third Concerto grosso album, this time titled The Seven Seasons, with lyrics that centered on nature and philosophy, making it somewhat of a concept album.
• Patrick Moraz releases The Story of I in 1976 with synthesizers taking the place of

traditional orchestral instruments.

• In 1978, Flame Dream, a progressive rock band from Lucerne, Weggis, Switzerland, released their first album "Calatea" on Philips Records. This band was similar to Genesis during the Peter Gabriel era (similar vocals, flutes, and keyboards) with influences of Van Der Graaf Generator (dark climates and sax), Yes, and Gentle Giant. They released their third album, "Out In The Dark", with new member Dale Hauskins on guitar on Vertigo Records, hiring English producer John Acock (Steve Hackett). Flame Dream continued to tour extensively throughout Switzerland and Europe using five semi trucks and eighteen roadies, carrying a spectacular sound system, and a color clustered extravagant light show. This band recorded four more albums and three singles on the Vertigo Records label, with most recording occurring at Patrick Moraz's Aquarius Studios in Geneva, Switzerland, with engineer Jean Ristori. Aquarius Studios, which was one of the first facilities with 48 tracks in Geneva, Switzerland, was a creative magnet for signed European progressive rock bands including Eloy, English jazz fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, and Flame Dream.

Queens and Kings

• Lana Lane has been dubbed as "The Queen of Symphonic Rock" by her fans and the press.^{[2] [3]}
• The Flower Kings are officially touted by their record company as 'The Kings of Symphonic Rock'. ^[4]

See also

• Progressive rock
• Art rock
• Symphonic metal
• Neo-classical metal
• Wagnerian rock
• Italian progressive rock

References