"Concord Orchestra" is a young symphony orchestra that is not afraid to experiment and is actively moving towards its success. It was formed in 2015 in St. Petersburg under the leadership of a young talented conductor from Italy, Fabio Pirol. And now we can say that the group has its own unique style, which sets it apart, and perhaps will allow it to occupy a separate niche on the musical Olympus between show business and symphonic music.

The program “Symphonic Rock Hits”, with which the history of the orchestra begins.

The orchestra’s creators spent exactly a year selecting a repertoire made up of legendary compositions by rock bands Metallica, Linkin Park, Rammstein, Scorpions, Survivor, The Beatles, Led zeppelin, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Depeche Mode, Europe, Steve Vai, Queen, Status Quo, Bon Jovi, Muse, Maroon 5, AC/DC and arranged hits for a classical symphony orchestra. The choice of performers for the Concord Orchestra was also difficult. Indeed, in addition to excellent professional skills, qualities that are unusual for classical performers are required, namely the ability to dance on stage, play without a score, and, perhaps most importantly, a willingness to experiment, a crazy touring schedule and the desire to create something new. It was not an easy task, and the young conductor Fabio Pirola handled it perfectly.

After final preparation of the “Symphonic Rock Hits” program, “Concord Orchestra” went on a grand tour of Russia. Forty-three Russian cities are on their tour schedule. Every day the Concord Orchestra gives a concert in a new city. Considering the distances, one can imagine what a physical and emotional burden this is for musicians. Russian audiences appreciated Fabio Pirol's innovative approach to creating the “Symphonic Rock Hits” program, because each concert is accompanied by thunderous applause and enthusiastic words of gratitude on social networks.

The performance of the Concord Orchestra can hardly be called a concert. Rather, it is an unusual, delightful show, where the playing of the orchestra is accompanied by dynamic lighting effects, and the musicians themselves and the conductor are in constant motion. The powerful sound of instruments in the hands of professional musicians: gentle violins, hard sounds of violas, the power of double bass, jazz timbre of saxophones, rock and roll drive of guitars and drums. The moment you see Fabio Pirol conductor's performance in the “Symphonic Rock Hits” program, you get the feeling that you have witnessed something completely incredible. The way he directs the production is not only his extraordinary energy, charisma and musicality, but also the embodiment of a completely new conducting concept. All this makes a fabulous impression on the audience. Some compositions are accompanied by elements of theatrical performances, and this makes them especially memorable. For me it was covers of “Behind blue eyes” by Limp Bizkit and “Enjoy the silence” by Depeche Mode performed by Concord Orchestra.

“Symphonic Rock Hits” is not the orchestra’s only program. “Tango of Passion by Astor Piazzolla” is released in February and is dedicated to all lovers, and “The Snow White Ball of Johann Strauss” is dedicated to the Christmas holidays.

We turned to Concord Orchestra conductor Fabio Pirola and he kindly agreed to answer our questions :

Let's start with you, Maestro, how did you, a Milanese, end up in Russia?

The first time I came to Russia as a tourist with my family, making a classic week-long tour: St. Petersburg, Moscow and the cities of the Golden Ring of Russia.

Later, I came to St. Petersburg for my first conducting master class with maestro Jorma Panula. I really liked the city and in some ways I realized that I would come back here.

Have you always dreamed of becoming an orchestra conductor? How and when did you realize that this was your path?

I didn't dream of becoming an orchestra conductor. It was a conscious, consistent choice. It was only after graduating as a violinist and working as a professional musician for several years that I realized I could do more and that orchestra management was truly my path.

How the idea of ​​creating “Concord Orchestra"Why did you choose this name?

Concord is derived from the word “concordia”, meaning agreement and harmony. Thus, the word Concord in the name emphasizes that a symphony orchestra can perform any repertoire, including rock. I guess, that

the idea of ​​consent is very important in our turbulent and troubled historical period.

In what year was it founded? Concord Orchestra»?

The orchestra's second season is now ending. The first concerts took place in the spring of 2016, then the first season (2016/2017) and then a dizzying and successful crescendo of music and busyness.

Your orchestra consists of a fairly large number of musicians who, in addition to excellent command of their instruments, must also have a certain familiarity with dance and the ability to move on stage: traits that are not characteristic of the musicians of a classical symphony orchestra. What are the selection criteria for your team members?

Currently, in Russia, as well as throughout the world, there are no such musicians. Therefore, during casting, I choose talented musicians who love such performances and have a natural predisposition.

Subsequently, I work not only as an orchestra conductor, but also as a psychologist, coach, choreographer, revealing in the musicians more and more kinesthetic and empathic perception, fundamental for shows of this type.

Your tour of Russia is really very eventful: every day there is a new site, and I read that the trip takes place on a bus. What cities or places made the strongest impression on you? And how is the audience different?

First of all, this is the city of Rossosh, where I visited the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. I was moved to see the artifacts of the Alpini army, reminiscent of the 100,000 Italians who died in Russia.

I will never forget the monument in the city center dedicated to the soldiers of Alpini, with the memorable inscription: “From the tragic past, to the friendship of the present and the fraternal cooperation of the future!” It is located opposite the kindergarten, built and donated by the Italians to Russian children.

The public in provincial cities is very emotional and warm, while in big cities it is very strict and demanding. Really different.

How do you manage to concentrate while on tour?

In 2000, in Italy, I took part in my first training “Training a Musician”, conducted by Professor Marco Brazzo. Since then, I have always tried to practice psychological preparation along with musical preparation. This is especially important when the pace of life becomes so frantic and stressful.

Please describe your typical day.

Rise at 7 am, breakfast at 8, 5-6 hours transfer on the bus, lunch, sound adjustment, rehearsal, performance, dinner, transfer to the hotel.

How difficult is it to coordinate such a large team? Do tense moments arise given the daily stress, or does general agreement prevail?

Of course there are many tense, nervous moments, however, this only means that the group consists of living people.

You just need to channel this energy in a constructive direction, using fundamental psychological preparation.

I believe that each theater has its own acoustics, equipment, and stage space: were there any unexpected situations that could hinder the success of the show?

Of course, we need to be able to adapt and optimize space. In addition, the development of kinesthetic and empathic sensation is fundamental. Only in this case can you cope with any situation without panic.

From a technical point of view, there are also different situations, but experienced technical specialists work with us.

What struck you most in Russia?

Beautiful girls! And when they give you flowers at concerts!

Besides, I love nature. Seeing the vast Russian expanses is something special for me.

Which Russian city would you like to live in, and which one would you recommend visiting as a tourist?

I would like to live and live for a long time in St. Petersburg. For tourists, I would advise going to the Russian hinterland and, of course, traveling along the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Which Russian city have you never been to? (which seems impossible given the pace of your tour)?

Unfortunately, I don’t know Siberia much, but we have a tour planned with the orchestra for the spring of 2019. I can't wait for this time!

How is your Russian language?

I understand almost everything, but I would like to speak better, use cases and inflect verbs correctly. This will take a little more time.

Your hobby?

I love the sea and sailing.

What are the most significant differences between Italy and Russia in your field?

In the field of music in Russia there is still the enthusiasm that was in Italy in the 70s and 80s. Everywhere there is a feeling that everything is changing quickly.

I really hope that here in Russia they know how to wisely confront the profound changes that await us in the coming years.

Do you think it would be difficult to offer the same program of performances to an Italian audience?

Yes, that's absolutely right! They say that the taste of the Italian public is the most complex and capricious in the world. All the producers and agents I talk to, and even the Italians, have had significant difficulties working in Italy in recent years.

From your resume I see that you have worked all over the world. Along with Russia, these are Germany, the USA, Great Britain, Bulgaria and even Oman. What is the most useful thing about this experience?

At the educational level, I think Russia, especially St. Petersburg, is undoubtedly the most significant city. Definitely worth living there for a few years!

What advice would you give to a young person who wants to pursue a career as a conductor?

It is an elite profession reserved for the few and will also undergo profound changes in the coming years.

You need to have a great desire and great willpower.

What are your plans for the future?

New performances, tour of Europe and China. Let's cross our fingers and hope everything goes well.

Symphony Orchestra conducted by Wolf Gorelick (Back from USSR 2003)
In this album, the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Wolf Gorelik performs instrumental versions of songs by Russian rockers that were popular in the 80s and 90s. Russian rock, unlike Western rock, can be heard in symphonic arrangements quite rarely, or rather, almost impossible. With the release of this album, “Return from the USSR,” its creators once again wanted to remind listeners of the time when these iconic works, which were included in the golden fund of Russian rock music, were created. Concert-presentation of the album “Russian Rock in Classic. Return from the USSR” took place on March 19, 2003. in the Kremlin. There were few people willing to listen to the classics of Russian rock performed by a symphony orchestra - the curtain opened in front of a half-filled stalls. Wolf Gorelik's orchestra took its place on the stage, the conductor waved his baton to hundreds of men and women dressed in tailcoats and formal evening dresses, and the concert began. An almost unrecognizable version of the song “Changes” by Viktor Tsoi was followed by the appearance of the host of the concert, Seva Novgorodtsev, who in turn introduced all the participants in the amazing concert. The right to open the program fell to the leader of the Time Machine, Andrei Makarevich. With the orchestra completely silent, the musician, playing along with himself on an electric guitar, sang two songs, separated as much as possible by the time they were written. And then, stepping aside, he admired how people with violins, double basses and flutes were working on his “Sunny Island”. Konstantin Nikolsky, whose songs, according to Seva’s calculations, at student parties broke all records for the number of performances, prepared three songs: “I’m one of those,” “Veterok” and “Musician.” The last piece, completely transformed by new instruments, was presented in its version by the orchestra to cries of “bravo” and “beautiful.” Since not all the musicians involved in the recording of the album “Russian Rock in Classic” went to the Kremlin site that day, the concert gradually turned into a “Guess the Melody” competition. Fortunately, the audience could rely on the help of the presenter, who introduced the authors of the played composition with jokes and jokes. “If Boris Grebenshchikov, who is being held back by long-distance tours, saw what was done to his song “The Sky is Getting Closer!” - Novgorodtsev helped the listeners, who once again found themselves at a loss in front of a seemingly familiar melody. A similar situation happened with Vladimir Kuzmin’s piece “Mom, I’m in Trouble.” The clear favorite of the concert, in which the groups “Agatha Christie” and “Moral Code” also took part, was the imposingly calm Yuri Shevchuk. Responding with a smile to the confession “Yura, we love you!”, he allowed a verse from “Wind” and “Rain” to be sung in his place. And then, retreating backstage, with great excitement, which was later reported by the omnipresent Novgorodtsev, Shevchuk listened as the harpist reproduced the sound of drops from the song he had just performed.

Rock bands began giving concerts with an orchestra back in the late 60s of the last century. Deep Purple weren't the first, but it was their performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra that inspired many bands to follow the same path.

Dimmu Borgir

No matter how you feel about Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, you can't deny the fact that their live performance with an orchestra and choir is very impressive. The group's legendary symphony concert took place in Oslo with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra in 2011. This concert was even shown on one of the local channels. At the Wacken Open Air Dimmu Borgir performed with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.

Evanescence

In November 2017, Evanescence released the album Synthesis, which included songs from the band's past releases in orchestral arrangements. To support the album, the band performed 81 concerts in North America, Europe and Australia. With the support of Eventation, two of them were held in Russia – in Moscow and St. Petersburg in March 2018.

The orchestra gave a special flavor to the Bi-2 group. For several years now, the group has been delighting listeners with its collaboration with conductor Felix Aranovsky, arrangers Sergei Gavrilov and Gennady Kornilov and musicians of the symphony orchestra. Their live performance will be remembered by the public for a long time.

Scorpions

The Scorpions group first teamed up with the orchestra in 2000 at the EXPO 2000 world exhibition. Their grand show with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra was broadcast by the largest local TV channels. However, their interest in such a collaboration arose a year earlier, when they performed their most famous composition, Wind Of Change, together with a group of 166 cellists led by Rostropovich. Scorpions liked the combination of their music with classical instruments, so such concerts were held more than once. For example, in Moscow they performed with the Presidential Orchestra on Red Square.

In 2003, Kiss teamed up with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to put on an amazing show. During the concert, all the musicians painted their faces in the band's signature style. The performance was released on CD and DVD, which were called Kiss Symphony: Alive IV.

Lord of the Lost

The German stage also abounds in performances with orchestra. In Germany there is even a festival called Gothic meets Klassik, in which many interesting musicians took part. For example, the band Lord of the Lost performed amazingly with The Zielona Góra Symphony Orchestra.

Metallica

In 1999, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony performed two concerts, during which material was recorded for the album S&M (Symphony and Metallica). The release took place the same year and received multi-platinum status.

In 2017, Oomph! became one of the participants in the Gotic meets Klassik festival. They performed their songs together with the Polish orchestra The Zielona Góra Symphony Orchestra.

In September 2018, the group will give two symphony concerts in Russia - this time with the Globalis orchestra.

For the first time in Germany! A stunning show “Symphonic Rock Hits” performed by the Concord Orchestra!


What is unusual about the show and concert performance of this unique group?

1. The musicians don't sit on chairs - they dance with their instruments and create excitement on stage.
2. Unique video installations and light shows create an atmosphere that makes the concert unforgettable.
3. All movements are choreographed by professional choreographers.
4. The costumes for the show's participants were created by a group of designers and are part of the Concord Orchestra brand.
5. The symphony orchestra performs all compositions from memory and without music stands on stage.
6. The remaining elements of the show and performance remain a closely guarded secret!

You will hear legendary compositions Metallica, Linkin Park, Rammstein, Scorpions, Survivor, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Depeche Mode, Europe, Steve Vai, Queen, Status Quo, Bon Jovi, Muse, Maroon 5, AC/DC. Musicians of the Concord Orchestra symphony orchestra will perform arrangements of works by famous rock bands so as to amaze you again and again with the unusual sound of rock hits!

The Concord Orchestra symphony orchestra is made up of virtuoso musicians from Russia and Europe under the direction of the famous Italian conductor Fabio Pirol. At the concert you will find compositions from iconic rock bands in the fresh sound of a symphony orchestra. Specially created video effects with unique photographs of rock musicians on the big screen will help create a special mood.

Concord Orchestra will captivate you with its new program, which includes modern and classic rock works. This is the powerful sound of instruments in the hands of professionals: the richness of violins, the hard sounds of violas, the charm of cellos, the power of double bass and the rock and roll drive of drums.

The energy of legendary rock music combined with a unique show will captivate you! Hurry up to order your tickets!

On November 10, “” was released - an album of mostly previously released songs by Evanescence, rearranged and recorded with the participation of an orchestra. And it is on this day that it marks exactly half a century since the release of “Days Of Future Passed” - the very first rock album in history to take the form of a symphony. Over the past half century, such works have become almost commonplace, and yet many of them are capable of delighting and surprising even discerning music lovers. the site recalls some of the most famous and successful examples of combining high classics with rock music.

The Moody Blues – “Days Of Future Passed”

(1967)

According to legend, the story of the first of a string of orchestral rock albums, which was released exactly 50 years ago, began in September 1967, when a heavily touring white rhythm and blues group was allegedly asked to record their version of Antonin Dvorak's "Symphony No. 9" in order to demonstrate capabilities of recording equipment of the new label Deram Records. The group agreed, but instead of recording classics, they decided to focus on their own album, which was based on their then-concert show.

Sound engineer Derek Varnals, who worked on the album, however, claims that these are just rumors: by that time, the label had already released at least six records with an orchestra, but in the case of the Moody Blues, Decca Records was just trying to spur interest in its new division, combining the sounds of a pop group and an orchestra after the overwhelming success of “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It is all the more surprising that it was this album that laid the foundation for the future art-rock sound of the group, and it was on it that their main hit was first heard. “Nights In White Satin” was written by Justin Hayward a couple of years before the recording: the reason for it was the satin sheets he received as a gift. Several more songs, including the record's second hit "Tuesday Afternoon", were also written long before recording, and the band just had to put it all together into a single whole, resulting in not only one of the most striking orchestral albums, but also one of the first truly conceptual canvases

TheNice – “Five Bridges”

(1970)

On October 10, 1969, Keith Emerson's symphonic work Five Bridges premiered at the Newcastle Arts Festival, performed by an orchestra conducted by Joseph Eger. The five-part suite received its name “Five Bridges” after the number of bridges in the city where the premiere took place, and its style was influenced not only by classical music, but also by a very specific performer - the Austrian pianist Friedrich Gulda, who intertwined jazz elements into a strictly classical form. The second side of the record, released as a result of the performance, included two more works recorded with Eger’s orchestra - the “Karelia” suite by Jean Sibelius and part of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetic Symphony”, where the orchestra plays in a classical style against the backdrop of a rock rhythm section and signature organ passages Emerson. And another number on this record is a mixture of Bob Dylan's "Country Pie" with Bach's sixth Brandenburg Concerto. All this, alas, did not give quite the result that the group had hoped for: critics rated the suite as mediocre, but fans consider it the pinnacle of the work of its direct predecessors Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Besides, who knows, without this and other attempts by Emerson to “marry” classical and modern music, perhaps there would not have been the much more famous “Pictures at an Exhibition”?

Deep Purple – “Concerto For Group And Orchestra”

(1970)

“This idea dawned on me when I was playing in The Artwoods,” recalls Jon Lord, the author of the band’s most ambitious project at that time. – At that time I was impressed by a record called “Bernstein Plays Brubeck Plays Bernstein”. This was music specially written for an orchestra and a jazz quartet. It sounded very interesting, and I asked myself: wouldn’t a rock band playing together with a symphony orchestra sound more original?” To bring the suite to the public, manager Tony Edwards secured press advertising and arranged a concert several months in advance at London's Royal Albert Hall, with Lord being the last to know.

“Plans are one thing, performing in such an authoritative hall is quite another: a fiasco would mean not only the collapse of my individual career, but also the collapse of the rock band that would perform with me. And I planned, of course, to play with Deep Purple. And there was no other choice but to get to work. I worked in July-August, most often after concerts, from late at night until the morning. And a big glass of strong coffee saved me from sleep,” Lord recalled.

This project was no less a shock for the orchestra members: when a few days before the concert everyone gathered for a joint rehearsal, one of the cellists said that she had not graduated from the conservatory in order to play in such a worthy hall with some followers of The Beatles. However, after the rehearsal, the girl apologized, saying that she liked this experiment. Another problem arose with Ian Gillan, who was supposed to write the lyrics to Lord's work.

“For some reason I didn’t prepare the lyrics in a timely manner,” recalls Ian, “at the auditions with my participation, I was humming something under my breath, and no one even noticed that I was singing some kind of nonsense. And only two hours before the performance, when we were sitting in a cafe, John asked: “Ian, admit it, you have a text?” As a result, the careless rocker wrote the words on a napkin right in the cafe, and sang at the concert, looking at a piece of paper attached to the floor.

The concert itself, which took place on September 24, 1969, was not without overlaps: the band played louder than the orchestra, and Blackmore stretched out a minute and a half solo to an unimaginable length. Nevertheless, at the end of the performance the audience gave a standing ovation, and the orchestra members, who had clearly disdained the “gang of long-haired hippies” during rehearsals, played the entire third act with obvious enthusiasm. Reviews in the press were also mixed: while Melody Maker's Chris Welsh called the concert "a bold and revolutionary piece", British classical music columnist Noel Goodwin recommended a "divorce by mutual consent" for the union of classical and popular music. And the famous DJ John Peel called the concert “terrible”, so he refused to invite the group to his evening show. Be that as it may, the concert became a milestone for the group and for all popular music in general.

Procol Harum – “Live: In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra”

(1972)

Procol Harum's hit single "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", based on one of Bach's works, became as symbolic of 1967 as the aforementioned "Sgt. Pepper,” so it’s not surprising that the idea of ​​recording with an orchestra had to come to them sooner or later. And it must be said that this happened “early”: this live album became the first disc in the history of rock music on which the group performed together with the orchestra not other people’s works or compositions specially written for this, but their own rock numbers already known to listeners . In this sense, Procol Harum, without even knowing it, created a real prototype for the many similar rock orchestral opuses that followed (and continue to follow with alarming frequency) from bands who decided to rest comfortably on their own laurels.

The original offer to record with the Edmonton Orchestra came in August 1971, but the departure of guitarist Robin Trower and the need to work on full orchestrations caused band leader Gary Brooker to shelve the project. And when the time came, a lot had to be done at the last minute: an agreement to record the performance with A&M Records was reached just a week before the concert, and the orchestration for the song “Conquistador” had to be composed on the plane on the way from England, so the orchestra didn’t even have time for rehearsal. Nevertheless, this particular thing became a hit single, performed almost from scratch and pushing the single to 16th place in the American charts, and the album itself into the top five in America.

Jethro Tull – “A Classic Case: The London Symphony Orchestra Plays the Music of Jethro Tull”

(1985)

The eighties were not the most successful time in the career of Jethro Tull, if only because it was then that one of the most famous and popular art-rock bands finally turned into the accompanying band of its leader Ian Anderson. Nevertheless, the group still had something in store that could surprise fans, as evidenced by this album, recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra: it differs from other projects like “an orchestra plays rock classics” in that it was recorded by Anderson himself, permanent guitarist Martin Barr, as well as members of the new band - bass guitarist Dave Pegg and keyboardist Peter-John Wittes. Rock anthems “Aqualung” or “Locomotive Breath,” not to mention more “classical” pieces like “Bouree,” sound so harmonious as if they always existed in this arrangement: the arrangements for the project were made by another member of the classic lineup, keyboardist David Palmer. In the US, the album charted at number 93 - a weak result for the band, but quite good for what was essentially a collection of orchestral remakes.

Metallica – “S&M”

(1999)

Conversations that the patriarchs of trash music wanted to record an album with an orchestra arose in early 1999 as a kind of challenge to the routine of recording and touring: Michael Kamen, who worked on the unforgettable “Nothing Else Matters,” was invited to the project as an arranger and conductor. “We know they can play and they know we can play. You just need to correctly calculate the volume of each other’s sound,” bass guitarist Jason Newsted said in an interview.

Concerts with the San Francisco Orchestra, which served as the basis for the released double album and DVD, took place on April 21 and 22 of the same 1999: despite the fact that some arrangements, according to critics, were made as if in a hurry, the album sold very well, and the composition “The Call of Ktulu” won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

“You know, about this thing with the orchestra... it was so cool partly because there wasn't too much of it. There is no point in doing a hundred such concerts, said Lars Ulrich in an interview with MTV. - I have never been so collected on stage: I really wanted to carry out our part of the performance brilliantly, without spoiling it and not letting the team down. Probably, getting along well in a group of four is one thing. But letting down one hundred and eight people is another thing... This is what I remember about those two concerts: absolute concentration on my playing, no extraneous thoughts about the lighting or the pretty girl in the third row. This is the absolute truth."

Scorpions –“MomentOf"Glory"

(2000)

Following Metallica, other hard rockers also turned to orchestral albums, for whom this kind of work became something of an attempt to prove that hard rock can sound respectable. The Scorpions did not escape this fate, performing on November 11, 1999 in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the unification of Germany. Of course, the highlight of the performance was the famous “Wind of Change”, performed by 166 cellists led by Mstislav Rostropovich.

The performance inspired the rockers so much that for the next project they invited the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra to collaborate, and for the necessary festive mood they rented a studio in Vienna. In addition to signature ballads, the program included a remake of the hit “Rock You Like A Hurricane”, called “Hurricane 2000” and sounding almost more expressive than the original, and a beautiful cover version of Diane Warren’s song “Here In My Heart”. And the title track was written specifically for the “EXPO 2000” exhibition, which took place in the homeland of the Scorpions in Hannover. Another notable number was the instrumental version of the hit “Crossfire”, the introduction to which was “Moscow Nights”. The album reached third place in the German charts, also appearing in the charts of Portugal, France, Switzerland and Japan, which is partial to hard rock. In the latter case, however, the disc only reached the hundredth place - but who said that the quality of work is determined primarily by places in the charts?

Kiss – “Symphony: Alive IV”

(2003)

Initially, the band wanted to release their fourth live album in a more traditional form and with a classic line-up, but problems with labels led to the recording being shelved, but the band themselves managed to jump on the bandwagon of the fading fashion train. On February 28, a concert took place in Melbourne, in the first part of which the group performed 6 songs with a traditional rock lineup, and then invited the Melbourne Symphony Ensemble to the stage, continuing the show with such hits as “Beth” and “Sure Know Something”. With each act, the level of intensity increased until it reached its climax in the third part with a full-fledged symphony orchestra: the weather was not spoiled even by the fact that Tommy Thayer, who had previously worked in cover bands, became the guitarist at this show instead of the departed veteran Ace Frehley. To make it even more impressive, the orchestra's musicians were painted to look like members of Kiss: however, this did not affect either the performance of the former or the quality of the show of the latter. And this is one of those concerts that is no less exciting to watch than to listen to – after all, these four people in makeup have always been famous for the quality of their live performances.

Aria – “Classical Aria”

(2016)

The country's main heavy band did not ignore the new fashion: in 2001, the group became the headliner of the "Invasion" festival, where they presented a concert program with the Globalis symphony orchestra conducted by Konstantin Krimts. The performance turned out to be so successful that in 2002 the musicians went on a symphony tour, and on November 29, 2015, another concert with Globalis was played at the Moscow Crocus City Hall as part of the Aria Fest festival, this time conducted by the Swedish conductor Ulf Vadenbrandt: This concert became the basis for the subsequently released album.

It is interesting that what attracts attention on the recording is not so much the orchestra itself, which found itself in the shadow of the band’s signature heavy sound, but rather the confident singing of Mikhail Zhitnyakov, who replaced Valery Kipelov and Artur Berkut as vocalist. Of course, real fans recognize only one real vocalist of "Aria", and a change of this kind is never painless, but this is the case when the group finally pulled out a lucky ticket. And, most importantly, this applies not only to new songs, but also to those that are familiar to every true “Aryan”.

The Cranberries - “Something Else”

(2017)

In the second decade of the new century, it sometimes seems that the stars of the past century are secretly following a recipe drawn up by someone: if there is a creative crisis, prepare an album of remakes or covers. At first glance, the reunited The Cranberries decided to follow the same path, their first album in five years contains only three new songs, everything else is versions of old hits accompanied by the Irish Chamber Orchestra. However, Dolores O'Riordan's voice is still enchanting, and the group itself, although it came into being in the grunge era, has always been distinguished primarily by melody, the roots of which are in Irish folk music. And if most of the records presented in this review are a kind of duel between rock and classics, then The Cranberries often allow themselves to disappear into the sound of the orchestra and allow fans not only to hear their favorite songs in an unusual version, but also to listen and appreciate the lyrics, which are often lost in the usual guitar environment.