The Classical Conspiracy | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | 8 May 2009 | |||
Recorded | 14 June 2008 | |||
Venue | Miskolc Opera Festival, Miskolc, Hungary | |||
Genre | Symphonic metal, neoclassical metal | |||
Length | 143:56 | |||
Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
Producer | Epica, Sascha Paeth | |||
Epica chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
About.com | [2] |
Live-Metal.net | [3] |
Lords Of Metal | [4] |
Metal Asylum | [5] |
Rock Sound | [6] |
The Classical Conspiracy is the second live album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. The recorded live show took part in Miskolc, Hungary on 14 June 2008 in the framework of the Miskolc Opera Festival, where the Swedish symphonic metal band Therion had done a similar show a year before. Epica performed on stage with a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir, entirely composed of Hungarian musicians conducted by Zsolt Regos. The expanded ensemble played classical music, excerpts from operas and movie soundtracks, as well as Epica's songs. The album was released on 8 May 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records. [7]
This is the first album featuring Ariën van Weesenbeek as the new official drummer of Epica and also the last album with founding member and lead guitarist Ad Sluijter, who had already left the band when the album was released. [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Palladium" | Yves Huts | 3:46 |
2. | "Dies Irae" (from "Requiem") | Giuseppe Verdi | 2:15 |
3. | "Ombra mai fu" (from "Xerxes") | George Frideric Handel | 3:06 |
4. | "Adagio" (from "New World Symphony") | Antonín Dvořák | 9:02 |
5. | "Spider-Man Medley" | Danny Elfman | 4:16 |
6. | "Presto" (from "The Four Seasons") | Antonio Vivaldi | 3:06 |
7. | "Montagues and Capulets" (from "Romeo and Juliet") | Sergei Prokofiev | 2:11 |
8. | "The Imperial March" (from "The Empire Strikes Back") | John Williams | 3:25 |
9. | "Stabat Mater Dolorosa" (from "Stabat Mater") | Giovanni Battista Pergolesi | 4:31 |
10. | "Unholy Trinity" | Huts | 3:11 |
11. | "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (from Peer Gynt ) | Edvard Grieg | 3:11 |
12. | "Pirates of the Caribbean Medley" (European release only) | Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt | 6:44 |
13. | "Indigo" (Prologue) | Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen | 2:04 |
14. | "The Last Crusade" (A New Age Dawns, Part I) | Jansen, Huts, Ad Sluijter | 4:18 |
15. | "Sensorium" | Jansen, Sluijter, Janssen, Simone Simons | 5:06 |
16. | "Quietus" (Silent Reverie) | Epica | 4:22 |
17. | "Chasing the Dragon" | Jansen, Huts, Janssen, Simons | 8:03 |
18. | "Feint" | Jansen, Sluijter, Janssen, Simons | 4:34 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Never Enough" | Huts | 5:37 |
2. | "Beyond Belief" | Jansen, Sluijter, Simons | 5:28 |
3. | "Cry for the Moon" (The Embrace that Smothers, Part IV) | Jansen, Sluijter, Simons | 7:44 |
4. | "Safeguard to Paradise" | Huts, Jansen, Janssen | 3:59 |
5. | "Blank Infinity" | Jansen, Janssen, Simons | 4:45 |
6. | "Living a Lie" (The Embrace that Smothers, Part VIII - Simone Version) | Jansen, Huts, Sluijter, Simons | 5:24 |
7. | "The Phantom Agony" | Jansen, Huts, Sluijter | 10:30 |
8. | "Sancta Terra" | Jansen, Sluijter, Simons | 5:11 |
9. | "Illusive Consensus" | Jansen, Sluijter, Janssen, Simons | 5:45 |
10. | "Consign to Oblivion" (A New Age Dawns, Part III) | Jansen, Sluijter | 12:06 |
Epica
Additional musicians
Choir of Miskolc National Theatre
Extended Reményi Ede Chamber Orchestra
Production
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Dutch Album Charts [9] | 23 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) [10] | 82 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) [11] | 58 |
Switzerland Album Charts [12] | 81 |
France Album Charts [13] | 23 |
German Album Charts [14] | 87 |
Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever.
Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitars of metal with different elements of orchestral classical music, such as symphonic instruments, choirs and sometimes a full orchestra, or just keyboard orchestration.
The Miskolc Opera Festival or International Opera Festival of Miskolc(Miskolci Nemzetközi Operafesztivál) was a cultural event held every summer in Miskolc, the capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. The event offers a selection of opera performances with the participations of famous artists from all over the world and was created by Péter Müller Sziámi, the former art director of the National Theatre of Miskolc in 2001.
Markus Hubertus Johannes Jansen is a Dutch guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. A prominent figure in the symphonic metal subgenre, he is known for his work with the bands After Forever (1995–2002), Epica (2002–present), and MaYaN (2010–present).
Hungary competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 182 competitors, 150 men and 32 women, took part in 111 events in 17 sports.
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