Badass “Les Cyclopes” Performance by E. Comparone
Elaine Comparone is the Tony Iommi of Baroque harpsichord, and you’re about to get your face rocked off, Rameau style.
Via Darla Teagarden, who says, “imagine running through a house of mirrors in Greece circa 1927 after smoking hashish while wearing tiny shoes.” (Perfect!)
Comparone claims Rameau’s shredding piece of music was inspired by Homer’s Polyphemus. Other scholars suggest that the French composer was representing the BRVTAL brothers Arges, Brontes, and Steropes –Cyclopean blacksmiths who forged lightning bolts for Zeus– and that the insanely manic percussive runs are meant represent the giants busy at work, hammering and forging thunderbolts. Either way? MMM\m/ETAL.
October 23rd, 2010 at 4:30 pm
I have always maintained that the harpsichord is the most METAL INSTRUMENT KNOWN TO MAN. And Comparone is clearly more badass than any other artist.
October 23rd, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I am in awe of how she plays!!! *_*
October 25th, 2010 at 7:27 am
This has nothing to do with metal. Heavy metal sucks donkey balls, it’s the cheesiest genre of music ever known to man. Seriously, Coilhouse digs metal?? What a disappointment.
October 25th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Oh, Alex. Does your hatred of metal run so deep that it’s burned away your sense of humor? (Or maybe you’re just trolling? It’s hard to tell.)
While I can’t speak for my cohorts, yes, I lubs me some metal. And classical. And untold hundreds of other genres to boot. Variety is the spice of life, buddy!
October 26th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Your answer is a non sequitur. I’m not trolling, just expressing my opinion, since it’s an open comments post and I’m a Coilhouse reader. And I’m not attacking variety, just metal. I don’t follow the logic in your answer. I’m 100% pro variety. I love 77’s punk, underground hip hop, Atari Teenage Riot, old Madonna tunes, bebop, Grieg and even White Zombie. But metal? No. Can’t stand metal. Being a punk in the 80’s I got really tired to hear old hairy farts saying the bands I used to like “weren’t music”. Metal guitar solos are cheesy and, frankly, that’s where “variety” stops to me. Metal is juts like Justin Timberlake or something.
October 26th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Alex, that’s a huge bummer to hear. There’s huge variety to be found, even in metal. If you think it’s all the same, you might just be listening to the wrong bands!
(Caveat: I’m not a music critic, but I know what *I* like. If someone wants to suggest a better example, go for it. Maybe I’ll find something new to enjoy.)
If you like classical, you might like some japanese neoclassical. Try out some Galneryus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfBI_kmDlNQ
If you’d like something a little more melodic, there’s Blind Guardian. Try their more recent stuff, especially from “A Twist in the Myth”, as their earlier work is definitely closer to speed metal, which I’m betting won’t really float your boat.
Slower, quieter, and a huge favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_tORtmKIjE
Faster, more upbeat and off their latest album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfEJwK6InXc
If that’s still not doing it for you, give Symphony X a shot.
The Odyssey in three parts:
1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KKFoEI0kss
2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OZ2dJbHQFA
3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAo8BBrU9Ps
Finally, if nothing else caught your ear, try Týr.
Brother’s Bane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtT6hSQE3Do
I love metal. Even if you don’t find anything you like, I hope you don’t still think that it’s “just like Justin Timberlake”.
October 27th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Yeah, cuz um…Madonna’s not cheesy at ALL.
October 27th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
@Dusty Hee heee… And of course, White Zombie is a true unmatched paragon of Authentic and Original composition that has no roots in metal whatsoever.
Ah, well. No accounting for taste, I guess. :D
October 27th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Dear Alex,
Your blanket statement belies your ignorance on the subject. In fact, many kinds of metal and punk share a common heritage; thrash metal and hardcore punk are blood brothers, my friend.
There are also several subgenre’s of metal; not just heavy metal:
Black Metal, Post-black Metal, Death Metal, Alternative Metal, New Metal,Thrash Metal, Speed Metal, Glam Metal, Power Metal, Hair Metal, Doom Metal, Folk Metal, Symphonic black Metal, Drone Metal, just to name a few.
Personally, I find metal to be one of the more dynamic genres of our time as well as home to some of the world’s most talented musicians. Van Canto is an acapella metal band with a drummer, Isahn’s last album included Jazz saxaphone on several tracks, Cynic has guitar riffs so intricate that you have to listen several times to really pick them out, Sunn O)))’s tracks are slowed down to draw out every note, Alcest sounds like something from a fleeting dream, and Fenriz of the Norwegian Metal band Darkthrone has been heard to say that Diamanda Galas is the most metal performer out there.
Don’t you see? In lumping all of metal into the same donkey-balls sucking category, you are doing exactly what those uniformed “old hairy farts” did when they marginalized the music you enjoy.
Don’t be such a genre-ist.
<3
Mel
@Diaghilev Ooh! Thanks for the music share…I rather like that Galneryus (BG and Tyr were already in my collection).
@Mer It probably goes without saying, but yours are some of my favorite Coilhouse posts. I'm not much for commenting, but as it was said on XKCD: http://xkcd.com/386/
October 28th, 2010 at 8:40 am
Ahhhh Rob Zombie. He’s a really great guy. Like the stuff he does for kids. He goes into hospitals and he goes “BLAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” and scares them back to health.