Classical Composer Reacts to The Poet and the Pendulum (Nightwish) | The Daily Doug (Episode 66) 

2005 was the year Tarja was fired/quit (it was both) and also the year of the vicious fan backlash that drove Tuomas to the point of suicide. Even the Prime Minister of Finland chimed in on the controversy. The original singer for this song was Anette Olzen on the album "Dark Passion Play", but the song had been written before she joined the band. Anette did not have the range for this song, hence the use of the boy soprano Guy Elliott and another boy for the spoken passages, whose name I have forgotten. When Floor replaced Anette mid-tour (another drama moment) she volunteered to sing all of these passages, as she had the range, but Tuomas opted to keep the boy soprano for the opening and the spoken parts in order to retain the sense of innocence. You comment about the musical inadequacy of "the blade keeps on descending" has more to do with who is speaking these words - the mother of Tuomas. It is a mother speaking to her son in his moment of torment, hence the simplicity. The reference to "infanticide" and "cut in half" has been thought to be a reference to the killing of the band, Tuomas' child. Good catch on the "second robber to the right of Christ". "The end" at the beginning and "the beginning" at the end, represents the closing of the Tarja era and the starting of a new chapter. One thing that is very important about understanding Nightwish: they all only do what the idea behind the song requires and nothing more. Whether that's the complexity of the music, the guitarist with no solo, or Floor sitting on the drum kit riser, they never do more than the idea requires. So yes, this could have been a more complex piece of music, but it didn't need to be.

He wasn't just messing around when he was talking. This is a very emotional song and he was making sure his friend was alright.

Hey Doug, what a masterclass! Awesome explanation about the song's progression. I totally agree that it ended optimistically. Thanks for such great content. Cheers from Brazil!

There are some things you got right but not all, I am sure the army will tell you more. I ll just note that the words in the last section are supposed to be said by his parents after his death. Also the band members are just checking on him because he is obviously very emotional when he plays this song, even after so many years.

Epica sancta terra live at the retrospect show featuring our Valkyrie Floor Jansen as a guest vocalist!!!

my favorite part of this composition is the counter melody on the cello in the pacific. also check out their rendition of phantom of the opera with marco and tarja singing the duet. I have heard that it's one of ALW's favorite covers of this song.

Manchester 2018 I had the great pleasure of witnessing nightwish live and this song was one of the more special ones, the emotional feeling there is there to all to feel and it got to the point where Tuomas did cry, Emppu and Marco check up on him often during the song as it really does touch his soul and the song is literally his heart and soul in song. Interesting missing the links to Edgar Ellen Poe too which the song at point refers to

@doug, the orchestral prerecorded sounds were done by Toumas and the London Philharmonic Orchestra I believe.

As a lot have pointed out, "Shoemaker" from their latest album would be a rather short but highly interesting piece for you to hear. BUT, the one longer but astonishing piece you miss so far is "Beauty of the beast" which is the last track of the album "Century Child". It features Tarja on vocals and boy is it a closer! You HAVE to hear it! Do not search for a live recording of it, for once go for the studio version of it, it is worth it...

"I have no idea what they are going to do" Welcome to the club :) Every song is different.

Emppu just forgot how to play the song and asks Tuomas, what he has do to now. But as you can see in Tuomas' facial expressions, he doesn't know either: 'I got no idea man, I'll just push some buttons here. Play a solo or something. Nobody's gonna notice, sounds good anyway'.

I've watched many many versions of this reaction. You do a great job of it. Can't wait to see you do Phantom of the Opera with Tarja. The crowd is absolutely livid in a good sense.

In the opening, the singing was done by a boy soprano, and in a backing track, could Floor do that, maybe but it wouldn't sound the same. Tuomas uses backing tracks a lot in his compositions, it makes logistics easier for the band and shortens the rehearsals at each new venue. Now, when Empuu approaches Tuomas to chat, it's partly to make sure he's emotionally okay. Remember, this is a difficult song for Tuomas to perform due to the reasons he wrote it in the first place. This happens a few times throughout the performance. Also, anytime you hear horns or strings in the background, that's a backing track keyed to the synth... that Tuomas operates also... And the pipes coming off from around the keyboards, purely decorative, no other function except aesthetics.

I really love, when someone explain to me why I love Nightwish so much....

Great breakdown. :) its a masterpiece! Toumas "the metal mozart" is one of our greatest modern componists

A guy like you really need ti react to Wintersun - Sons og winter and stars (sonic pump studio performance)

The beginning is somehow reminiscent of "Sun of the Sun" by Therion. You really should check out that Swedish band. Try their Live Gothic show in 2007. An eargasm is guaranteed.

Been watching for a month or so and I really like your reactions. This song was one of my favorites growing up. Suggestion: If you want another longer song, you should check out either "Keeper of the Seven Keys" or "Halloween" by the band, "Helloween" (spelt with an E). Studio or official live videos are both great. Have a good one!

You must try Nightwish - Shoemaker. That song is something transcedental, it sounds ancient and futurist and I would like to see your reaction :)

Tuomas has stated several times in interviews that he usually has the vocals removed from his monitor settings during this song.

You have done 2 of the 3 big songs of nightwish. 1. Ghost love score 2. The poet and the pendulum. Guess you should do the third song of the big 3. 3. The greatest show on earth. ( live @ tampere) It is also the longest one with 24 minutes!

A lot of people were very upset over Tarja being fired but there was a lot of stuff and reasoning behind it. Tuomas wrote 2 letters, one for the fans which went out first so they knew what was happening on the last concert they had with Tarja, the second was given to her at the end of the last concert and it was of her getting fired. He was in deep torment over the whole thing and thats when they found Annette, many did not like her but she was Tuomas's healing because she was not Tarja. Nightwish was created around Tarja and if they found anyone like her to sing then it would be like a haunting ghost, thats the 1000 pages of erased text part, and with Annette it was a new start that he could focus on and try something different. Annette was really used in the studio and they done a lot of music videos and he was able to get that separation he needed to heal from what happened with Tarja, When they went over to Tuomas (the bit you commented on) is him going over to see how he was holding up on the song cause even then the song still was emotional for him to play. Nightwish is kinda like a family more than just a band so there is a lot of connection between them. If you noticed the drummer change from the video you did on the Ghost love score, to the next video Greatest show on earth, The first drummer suffered from Narcolepsy and could no longer be the drummer but they still took care of him and his family and stayed in touch with him. I personally like a few songs they done with Annette on the albums over Floor singing them. Some of those songs were made for Annette to sing and they fit too well (my opinion) with her voice. Floor coming into the band after Annette was again like fresh air for Nightwish again and even though Floor sings a lot of the songs Tarja done, they don't have that ghost lingering with the band, Not because she sings the hell out of them but because of that change with Annette. If they got Floor right after Tarja then the whole Nightwish would have had a whole different vibe and might not be in the really good state the band is in now. If you do want to look up a few songs of Nightwish with Annette then look for the studio/music video versions and not live. Storytime music video with Annette is a good view of what Tuomas was doing, Imaginarium is a full movie he done with the album. Storytime shows a lot of those making of shots for Imaginarium.

Thanks for this one. Been waiting for this :D. I can confirm that Iron Maiden Seventh Son of A Seventh Son would be a glorious song to check out.

Its cool detail when the boy say 3 minutes and counting at 7:00 and at 10:00 Tuomas Kills himself.

You should totally check out the live version of Devil and the Deep Dark Ocean. Heavier, faster and very technical

As you can tell, Tuomas loves to use imagery in his songwriting. Everyone has already mentioned how he wrote himself into the song; whenever you hear him mentioning "The Poet,", or "the dead boy", he's referring to himself. So take the part of Part 4: Dark Passion Play, when he talks about "second robber to the right of Christ"... if you think about Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper, if you look as if you're standing behind Jesus, wouldn't two seats to the right of him be Judas? It isn't often that you can have a symphonic metal song that mixes in Poe, the Crucifixion, feelings from the backlash of having to dismiss one of your friends and founding members of your band, and your own lyrical suicide all in the same song.

Doug- there are so many ridiculous and pointless reaction videos out there on RU-vid these days. It’s become saturated. Yours are AMAZING. the only ones I watch. Thank you for your honest and deep reactions, your expertise, your obvious love of the music and the craft. Thank you. You seem to always do songs. But I was hoping, seriously hoping, you might consider taking on a concept album? Start to finish. It’d be long but totally worth it. If you haven’t heard it yet, The Astonishing by Dream Theater, is quite possibly one of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard. If you appreciate nightwish and Maiden, you would like it. There are recurring themes throughout and it is beautifully composed. I hope you please consider this. Another that’d be incredible would be The Source by Ayreon. Beautiful album. Please please- The Astonishing. You won’t be disappointed!!

A++

Yet, you fail to notice that you should do Blood Brothers or The Nomad by Iron Maiden

3 min from the time of the lyric to death

"The White Lands of Empathica" is a section in the last volume of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Spoiler: there lives a creature called Dandelo which feeds on people's emotions. Following the events of Tarja's dismissal, Tuomas found himself covered on many yellow press headlines so that he basically locked himself in and living an escapist lifestyle (song 'Escapist' deals with that), reading and watching movies etc. The spoken words leading into the 'Dark Passion Play' part are partially taken from the Stephen King/Richard Bachman dystopian novel 'The Long Walk' which is about 100 17 years old participating in the eponymous walk competing against each other. If one stops, he dies. The spoken obituary at the end: the meaning of the year 2005 has already been covered in several comments. The symbolism behind the 1000 pages is a clean slate (as you already guessed). It's a continuation of the 'please no more words' from the second verse: he got rid of this burden so that he can die in peace (hence the smile). Tuomas stated in several interviews that this song was his musical suicide. He cherishes life too much to be able to commit a real one, but he needed to exorcise himself after all the things leading to and following Tarja's dismissal.

When you said Empuu was having a siesta, he's there to support and check on Tuomas because this is a really emotional piece for him. A bit later you see Marco by his side as well.

The opening vocal piece is a boy soprano Doug not Floor. 2005 is when Tarja got fired. The words three minutes and counting refer to that exact point in the song and 3 minutes later Tuomas dies in the song.

It would be nice to see you listen to an actual studio recording, where the symphonic parts are even more crisp and noticeable. Maybe "Shoemaker" from their latest album? Tuomas also has an almost purely instrumental solo album called "The Life and Times of Scrooge" that showcases his symphonic talents. My personal favorite is the "Into the West" track. Thanks for your videos, super interesting for someone who studies music!

Okay, no Emppu was not taking a break! He was making sure Toumas was okay. The question he asked, 'So, how is she doing?' the answer... 'Fucking awesome!' This song, is/was his suicide letter to music. How the breakup affected him, since the 'Dark Passion Play was already written when the split happened. Also at the end, Marko and Emppu support him, since this song still has a major effect on him. The vocal track has been removed from his in ears by his request. The last section are quotes from his mother who helped him deal with the stress and depression enough to go on. Also please remember this was live, and in the middle of the set. The rest other's have commented on, so I don't have to.... Floor usually does a descending chromatic on the word descending. There is so much about this band. I'm a fan from the Tarja era. Met them and heard them while doing concert security during their Sleeping Sun/ Decades Tour. Wasn't a big fan of Annete, but huge fan of Floor. All of Toumas's music has a deeper meaning. You have to remember Tarja and Toumas were friends in school, if you look you can find them doing a school talent show together. Yes, he loves Minor 3rds, uses themes and variations often. To be honest, if you do research, Nightwish should be thought as a Super Group. Toumas Holopainen, is the main conductor, songwriter, band leader. Emmpu, is a guitar virtuoso. He has a talent for not over or underplaying his part. He can shred, when needed or support with a solid melody line. He doesn't have to prove he can play, because everyone knows he can play. Marko, the Bass player is a multi instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and had two other successful groups before joining NW. Troy Donokley, plays pipes, reads, guitar, Ebow, tin whistles, and anything they put in his hand, also being a singer/songwriter for years. Floor Jansen, singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, has had two former groups After Forever and Revamp, has sang in Mayan, and has worked with producer composer Arjen Anthony Lucasson on many projects. Floor's sister is also a very talented singer. When ReVamp broke up, her guitar player with one of Floor's friends (Simone) created Epica, with Simone Simmons. Simone was once a back up singer for ReVamp. And Kai Hato, from Wintersun; replaced Jukka on drums... well, both are master players laying ghost notes under and over the main bass line. You have just stepped into a different realm in music... Welcome!

Doug: Major D, B flat. Me: tears and sadness.

To see Tuomas sing along with the last part. Guts me everytime. Knowing these are actually words his parents said to him. Being a fan through the "end of a era". Seeing all the hell that came from it. Knowing it damn near killed him.

Ok ok ok ok!!!! SHOEMAKER HAS to be the next one please!!! (some research needed for that one too)

The last part is Tuomas mother and father talking to him, reassuring him, IMO.

Some background info: 7:23 Emppu (guitarist) didn't have anything to play at that point. He's going over to Tuomas to check on him and see how he's doing. Tuomas admits that even many years later, this song hurts a lot, and has the sound guys turn off his in-ear monitors for some portions of the song. Emppu is the only remaining original member of the band, aside from Tuomas, the composer. You may catch some crap for that, but it's not like you knew what was going on 🤷‍♀️ Also as a sidenote, the beginning was done indeed done by a boy choir member. All the original parts that are sung that high were done by the same singer, but Floor was able to sing that high and do them. Tuomas wanted to at least keep the introduction as the original singer.

When the whispering voice says ”I’ve only have 3 minutes and counting” there is exactly 3 minutes until the blade beheads Tuomas...

The guitarist that's taking a break is Emppu, he's famous for pulling practical jokes on the other members as well walking around the stage and doing little arm touches for moral, I suppose. The comic relief of the band.

The guitarist going to keyboardist has actual heartbreaking backstory. When the song was new it was quite hard to Tuomas (keyboard, songwriter) to perform this song. The huge backslash from firing Tarja and yellow press + fans giving him hard time was wearing Tuomas out badly. And Tuomas was in a very dark places in his mind. So during concerts guys in the band, especially Emppu (guitarist) went to check him and see that he is "surviving" the song trough. Tuomas usually at the time asked sound guy to kill the singers sound from in-ears just to avoid the lyrics. A few years back Tuomas has said that the case is not that anymore and that he is not the same person as back then. He has handeled the issue and while the song has its painful history, it is a song among others.

The final section, Mother and Father, represents him coming out of the period of darkness with the help of his friends and (you guessed it) his parents. In my mind, for all that's worth, this section is meant to represent something solid to hold onto, to steady yourself against so he could move on into the rest of his life. Solid, predictable, dependable.

Apologies. But I believe it was a boy soprano who sang the intro. Love your reviews and analysis.

In a recent edition of Iron Maiden's fan club magazine, Steve Harris lists this as one of the three songs he would pick if stuck on a deserted island, or something along those lines. Early Genesis and Tull are the other 2 tracks.

*Wintersun - Time live at Sonic Pump Studios Remaster* It's gotta happen. Their drummer is playing for Nightwith now btw.

"He's like, taking a siesta?" Emppu does this often when Tuomas has given him nothing to do in a certain part. He will just throw up his hands and emote "What am I doing here?". Emppu is a joker, and has by far the most interaction with the audience. He will acknowledge you if you get his attention, and he throws lots of personalized guitar picks every concert.

I consider this to be one of the top 10 greatest rock compositions in rock history. Right up there with Bohemian Rhapsody, Hotel California, Heaven and Hell, and American Pie.

The boy soprano at the start was Guy Elliott from St Mary's Reigate Choir School. Also appearing on the backing track, arranged and conducted by Tuomas Holopainen and Pip Williams, were the London Symphony Orchestra & The London Metro Voices Choir....... around 7:01 Emppu checks to see if Tuomas is ok due to the massive emotional content of the song (refer to Bill Attercliffe's comment). Emppu usually plays lead & rythym throughout nearly every Nightwish song! ................. 11:35 "3 minutes and counting" - 16:45 (including your comments and replay) Tuomas "Cuts his head off"....check the timing without pausing!!!

One of the greatest Nightwish songs (if not the best) brought about by fall out with singer 1, but needed singer 3 to do it full justice. Floor does not just sing this, she lives it and draws everyone in to the emotion.

This song is Tuomas Holopainen magnum opus. So evocative, so painful and real, and yet so chillingly beautiful.

I feel that the "thousand pages of erased text" refers to all the songs he would have written for Tarja to sing, which would now never exist.

2005 was the year that Tarja was fired and the whole world, or so it seemed, dumped on Tuomas and drove him into depression. This song is his virtual suicide, so he didn’t have to do it for real. By the way, if you type “Tarja” into google translate as Finnish and press the speaker, it will give you the correct pronunciation, the “j” is pronounced as a “y”. I really enjoyed your insights into this song.

Suggestion: Iron Maiden "Seventh son of a seventh son " whole album go through. Would be curious about what you think of it

Love your on-the-fly theoretical analysis, instead of the usual "Oo, ahh" of most reacters. Damn good ears, too.

This performance is a true masterpiece!

Serious question: is there a way to make it through the last section of this song without crying?

😂 she is singing it like a boy soprano 😂, because it is a boy soprano and not Floor 😎😋

I'd love to see Sancta Terra by Epica and Floor

"A hopeful ending", yeah. To me that's an interesting observation, given that this composition was meant to be an alternative to suicide. Now suicide is not actually seeking death. It's seeking relieve! It's seeking a face of non-pain. So in a way it's looking for a new beginning, hope beyond the pain. That's how I perceived it. At the very end after Floor sings this repetition of chords the instrumental melody slows down during a final 'drop'. It feels like letting go and I've noticed that I sigh in that moment. Letting go creates free space, giving rise to a new beginning.

there's a part in this song when there's a child saying only three minutes and counting, if you can playback and see what's gonna happen exactly three minutes after that(the death of the poet).. Nightwish are simply amazing! not just a regular band!

This is what happens in truly great masterpieces. You catch a glimpse of an enormous yet very human and therefore very flawed soul in its absolute nakedness. I think true art needs that sort of inner nudity, that commitment to show yourself exactly as you are, in the full glory of your imperfections and weaknesses, without mitigation, without masks or veils. Which in turn means that you're vulnerable of course,. Many people will get it as intended, many will be touched and transformed by it (I've seen grown men cry when hearing this song for the first time and I also tear up sometimes as a 47 years old musicologist), it's cathartic and it makes you a better person. And of course some will have adverse reactions, some will find it pathetic. This is a world of 7.8 billion different worlds and if you want to leave an imprint on it, those are the prices and the risks. Tuomas often speaks about how he doesn't understand why people show devotion and admiration towards him. He understands that they love his music, but he says he's just a human being. I guess he's both right and wrong about that for the reasons I've mentioned before. We know more about his inner world than he thinks and far less than we think.

Emppu is checking in on Tuomas who sometimes is so touched by this that he is not having the vocals in his in-ears. I think this song is the main reason Tuomas is still with us. He had a massive crush on Tarja. I would suggest their version of the Phantom of the Opera, also showcasing Marko

the or orchestral background music is the London philharmonic, they are used alot in their work.

Tuomas the keyboardist writes 95 percent of the songs. He likes Poe and Metallica and sandman. Emppu went and asked Tuomas if he was okay. At the end its Marco and Emppu checking on Tuomas. I liked that Floor looks at Tuomas while she's sitting down. Dead boy's Poem from Buenos Aires or The greatest show on Earth. Emppu is the only original band member besides Tuomas. Marco was there when she got fired.

Eager to react to the Symphony X - The Odyssey song

Emppu is asking if Tuomas is ok, as this is such a tough song on him emotionally to perform - he even has the vocal part cut from his in-ears for the later part. This is Nightwish being a family and caring for each other. The video direcor makes a good job of not showing it, but Floor also stops her windmilling after a hard look from Marco, and doesn't repeat it. It is the only time I have ever seen her lose empathy with the song she is singing. At the end, both Emppu and Marco (the other members who were in the band at the time of Tarja's firing) go and stand around Tuomas in support. The second robber to the right of Christ cannot be the crucifixion as there was only one to his right. Think instead of paintings of the last supper, and who is that 2nd to the right of Christ? Oh yes, Judas. NOW it makes sense! Remember the part about living long enough to see your friends betray you? The 3 minutes and counting iis exactly before Tuomas mimes beheading himself, which is followed by the fading hearbeat. 2005 is the year that Tuomas was made to realise that if they did not fire Tarja, there wouldn't be a band to fire her from. He was the last in the band to agree, yet he was the one the press and Taja's fans turned on viciously (with Tarja's husband Marcelo gleefully pouring gas on the fire) and blamed for it. That last section that Tuomas has the vocals cut from his in-ears are his mother's words to him.

This is how professionals do reactions. Respect! "1000 pages" is reference to the fact that Tuomas writes music that's ideal for the singer. He had many ideas for her voice but after firing her all of that is scrapped.

If you really want to see and hear something amazing then I would recommend Epica - Sancta Terra (with Floor Jansen). Live performance with orchestra.

Was a child soprano singing in the beginning. The song is hard for Thoumas to play or listen to. So Emppu and Mario go check to see if he is ok and how he is feeling.

This song with Floor's vocals actually takes my breath away. I can't sit still. It's almost uncomfortable how moving it is to me.

Interesting analysis, thank you. Re the lyrics occasionally falling flat...I tend to give Tuomas a pass given that he's composing in a second language. I imagine he could do remarkable things in Finnish that...well, most of us would never be able to appreciate.

For a Tarja song I highly recommend The Phantom of the Opera (yes, the Andrew Lloyd Weber arrangement) from the End of an Era concert. That was the last concert she performed with the band, and even though she was sick all day, she absolutely nailed the performance. Marko really shows his vocal chops in that one too, playing the part of the phantom.

I agree with you. You can listen to this song for many times and you will discover something new every time. I discovered another interesting fact about the song: The whisper at the start of the song is played in reverse... It seems Tuomas is very good in hiding easter eggs in his songs.

My interpretation of 1000 pages of erased text are all the songs he had written/planned for Tarja which now was erased

Great reaction, analysis, and commentary on this very special composition. 2005 was one year after he dismissed Tarja from the band. The erased text I think refers to all of his poetry and lyrics being for naught, now that his dream of Nightwish was done. It ended badly and he felt this would tarnish his legacy as the writer for Nightwish. The ending represents the death of a part of Tuomas' soul and burying his mental anguish. This is what will allow him to start over with a new singer and musical inspiration. To me the ending is very much like a funeral dirge. this is why it sounds hopeful, yet sad for the past. The end of what Nightwish was, and then the beginning of a new Nightwish. This song is filled with metaphors and imagery. If you want to know more, check out the yt video "The Open Letter". In this you will see the actual letter that Tuomas and the boys gave to Tarja in 2004. It explains why she was dismissed from the band. It will also give you some insight into Tuomas' character and love for music. See link. Loved it my friend. Peace.🎶🎶🎶😊🤘👍✌ ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rbkpMgqq8pU.html - The Open Letter to Tarja

Re: “write that guy a part” Guarantee Empu was trying to keep him loose knowing how hard the song is for him to play.... precursor to he and Marko going to him at the end of the song for support...

If ya want to hear more of Tuomas’s classical composing you should check out their latest album human nature and the nature-side. Full half an hour pure love and Classical music. My fav is moors and those uillean pipes makes me cry.

I recommend “Shoemaker” for your next Nightwish reaction. It’s a tribute to planetary scientist Eugene Shoemaker. I think you’ll find it interesting and beautiful.

20:00 Concerning "the blade descending": I don't think anything extra needed to be added because visually and musically the descending blade becomes your everything. It's the focus of your entire attention as you're secured to the sacrificial altar - you're focused upon the mechanism which will violently and senselessly end you. The blade becomes your everything and your entire prior existence fades to nothing. Hopes, dreams, aspirations, loves and hatreds - all become meaningless in the face of your impending and certain doom.

This song explains everything for those who know what happened back in 2005 which culminated with the concert "End of an Era" which was also the last concert of their first vocalist Tarja Turunen. The dark passion play relates with the huge backlash that the band received after firing Tarja and the big uncertainty that followed. There were also rumours that it was the end of the band. The beginning relates with the arrival of the other vocalist Anette Olzon, where many of the old fans accused the band of turning into a pop band, but anyway many more new fans came for them, till Floor Jansen brought the awakening and made everyone happy. Sadly the male vocalist Marko Hietala left. He was the best vocalist for me and I would have loved it a lot if they had done more songs with him in lead vocals.

2005, Tuomas (the keyboardist and composer of all Nightwish Songs and Music) wrote this song after making the hard decision to fire Tarja (the original vocalists) from the band. He was so emotional about the whole situation that he had to kill himself in the song so he wouldn't do it in real life. The part when the kid vocals say "now I only have three minutes and counting" is the countdown for when Tuomas 'slices his neck' exactly three minutes after. It's an absolute emotional masterpiece. People often notice this song is also in reverse. If your looking for Tarja music I suggest Phantom of the opera.

people able to tell the key of a song just from hearing it seem like wizards to me :) well done sir!

The song that introduced me to Nightwish was "Sleeping Sun" from the 90's when Tarja was just 21, I think. It's a lovely song: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UGfKMV5AbMI.html

Great reaction! A band very similar to Nightwish is Sonata Arctica. They have some really interesting songs to break down. Top picks would be Gravenimage, The Ruins of My Life, Wolf and Raven, Draw Me and White Pearl Black Oceans

It's a dual metaphor, as the second person to the right of Christ at the last supper was judas.

Others can clarify here - It is well known that Floor and Tarja are good friends and have been friends for a long time. Floor was in her first band, After Forever, when the split happened between Tarja and Nightwish. (interesting note; After Forever had toured with Nightwish, and that is where it is reported Floor and Tarja became great friends) Tuomas supposedly wanted to ask Floor to take Tarja's place, but did not - for whatever reason. Probably for the best. When they did ask Floor, she first asked Tarja if she was o.k. with her doing so - the rest is history. Floor and Tarja are still great friends, even if there is still animosity between Tarja and 'the boys'. I am sure others can shine more light on the issue. I just am glad Tuomas still composes, Floor sings, and Tarja also has a flourishing career.

I checked another reaction to this song a while ago from an Opera Stage Director here on YT, and from his perspective, Floor sitting aside while singing, for him means that who ever she's representing in the song is just in a different place, can be because he's "emotionally dead" because of his depression... Can be, can be not, but sounds interesting. Thanks.

Obviously by now you know that Floor was not the voice in the opening, but I think it speaks volumes to Floors ability that people think she could’ve been singing and would not have been shocked.

I'm about as musically tone deaf as you can get but I find your deconstruction and analysis of music fascinating. Brilliant work!.

The song is about Tuomas committing suicide in a song so that he wouldn't have to do it in real life (his words from an interview), and the trauma was having to fire Tarja because he'd been in love with her and she didn't love him back. Fans don't want to admit it and he's never admitted it directly but he has literally screamed this in lyrics for 6 albums. Also Tarja is pronounced like Tarya. ;)

Rewatching as I love your reactions and analysis so much. I laughed anew at the phrase "Nigjtwish tune" 😀 Tune! Rather more than that I think.

Doug, If you are interested in checking out how Nightwish writes and creates their music for a few of their recent albums, there are a number of Documentaries and interviews on RU-vid. They include some of their time in London recording the Symphony and Choir tracks, as well as their own composing and studio work. One of their Audio studio engineers mentioned there are over 600 tracks to mix. Search for "nightwish documentary english". There are english subtitles for most of the Finnish. I find the band's collaborative creation process, history and tech is as interesting as the music they create.

This song was thoumas way of getting over the descission to kick Tarja out of the band and introducing floor. He had dark thought about suicide, so he did a metaphorical suicide in this song so he didnt need to in real life. There is much more to the story. Letters and comments between tarja and nightwish Are public. This song is a masterpiece on its own. But its much more powerful when you know exactly why emppu and Marco is checking on Thoumas during the song. Its also the reason this song is not played every concerts.

Oh yes, I'm glad you reacted to this song! It's very deep, especially to Tuomas (the keyboardist/composer). It's about how he felt after the band decided to fire Tarja Turunen, the first Nightwish vocalist, one of his closest friends from a long date. He said this song - and the whole "Dark Passion Play" album - saved his life. Yeah he was that depressed. I'm sure the Nightwish army can give more details on that. :)

The three minute mark gets me every time.

A "Classical Composer reacts" channel needs some X Japan videos. Come on Doug

There is so much in this song to understand from behind the scenes. It's not just that Tarja got kicked out of the band. Sure that was a hard decision. But in that decision itself is a lot of hurt and mistrust and years of trust and friendship broken. But after the hard decision to kick Tarja out came the shitshow of media and fans that created even more pain and agony. There are references to this in the song. "I, a whore gor the whole world" which I believe means the fact that people just tore Tuomas apart without even considerin his feelings. Also my favourite line "I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more" is (I believe) a reference to the relationship of Tuomas and Tarja. They were very close. Whenever Tuomas had struggles he could work them out with Tarja. However after this incident there was no shoulder to cry on as the shoulder (Tarja) cried even more.

As you noticed, this song is a really dramatic one for the composer = Tuomas. He most of the time turns down the vocals, so he does not have to hear them. Emppu = the guitar player just comforts him. At the end he does it again with the bass player, making sure, Tuomas is good. In and with this song Tuomas commits suicide, so he does not have to do it in real life. The erased pages of text will be referred to in their song "Bye Bye Beautiful", also about the leaving/termination of Tarja. In this song they ask "Did you ever read, what I wrote you?".