You can buy the album from Bandcamp, both as separate scenes and as one uninterrupted track - joeparrish.bandcamp.com/album/the-rite-of-spring Check out my band Albion - www.youtube.com/@albionofficialuk
Hi, I'm a pianist- composer, teacher in Composition in a Conservatory in Italy. I want to congratulate for the brillant and incredible transcription of the Rite of the Spring. I was astonished in how you have found so many different colours on the guitar. Every musical detail is so well put in evidence with different timbres. I have played myself this piece in the 4hand version at the piano (the recording is on RU-vid), and know very well how difficult It is to play such a colourful orchestral score using only one instrument. For this I particularly appreciate your work, and give you my most stimate congratulations for this video! Bravissimo!!😀😀🎶
Those of us who are fans of both Stravinsky and metal have been waiting a long time for someone talented and motivated enough to do this. Thank you for being that person. You did a fantastic job.
I want to see this live with about 10 guys on guitars, a couple bassists, a couple drummers, lighting and sound engineers, giant multimedia screen and dancers.
@@LocutusBorgOf He's the man! It's a cool piece, but so far I've avoided vocal pieces as I'm not sure they would work so well, but I wouldn't rule it out
I’m a masters classical composition post grad student, as well as a jazz fusion and prog metal keyboardist and guitarist. I have studied the Rite for many years, always in the back of my mind thinking of doing something like this, but I was just always too overwhelmed by the enormity of the task to make any serious headway with it. But my gods, you actually did it! I only discovered this video yesterday and I’ve already watched it 4 times. The work to do this… I am truly in awe. Without exaggeration, this is one of the most impressive musical accomplishments I’ve ever bore witness too. The world is truly a richer place for this existing. My absolute admiration and respect for what you have achieved here.
I felt that way while listening - that it was composed to be played this way. And I've been listening to it ever since I was a teenager over 50 years ago.
The best part about this is the fact that you can see different parts as well as hear them. It actually has brought my attention to different parts that I hadn't really heard from just listening to the original orchestral arrangement.
I'm impressed not only by your performance skill and the sheer enormity of this project, but especially by all the different colors you got out of your instrument(s). It's a beautiful arrangement. My students will be listening this for years to come. Bravo, sir!
Just listened to this astonishing recording. You must have put in so many hours to arrange and perform this. I felt I should pay, so bought the recording from your store. Thanks
Thank you, that's very cool to hear - some of my favourite versions are by the New York Phil, old and new. Hopefully I will hear this recent performance as well.
I am a big fan of Stravinsky and especially the Rite of Spring. I’m a classical music guy, if you will. I am completely floored by your musicianship and this arrangement. Truly outstanding. Kudos to you Joe, and thank you for your wonderful contribution to music literature and listening.
I just listened to this again. Man I can’t tell you how much i love this. I think Stravinsky would’ve loved it too, even though he was a crotchety old bastard. I never met him but many of my teachers knew him and i still have several colleagues who did. Ive performed this dozens of times. This is by far my favorite re-orchestration I’ve ever heard.
@@peacekidxxx no one edited, changed, and re orchestrated their music as much as Stravinsky. He wrote for what ever was available. He and Bartok also loved the idea of writing for movies. The ability to time the music to the acting perfectly. But again he was a seriously crotchety old man. He was knows for being abusive to players and to be Frank just being a dick. So who knows. Catch him in the wrong mode and you could have a completely different story.
Love it....in some ways the harmonic, rhythmic and textural details are clearer to the listener than Stravinsky’s own dense symphonic orchestration ( which I have also played many times as a string player). Yes Stravinsky would have loved this! Bravo...fantastic re-scoring
Thank you so much for doing this, my jaw was literally on the floor the whole time. I can't even begin to comprehend the amount of effort, let alone talent, that went into making this. I think you deserve a Grammy for this.
I've always said there are only 2 composers whose music can be successfully arranged for any combination of instruments: Bach and Stravinsky. You just gave my theory a big boost. We 'classical' musicians are freaking out over your incredible achievement. Brilliant and inspired!
@@Mainyehc And she did it on prehistoric equipment, a stunning achievement. As an acoustic musician (violinist, classical) I think that Bach and Stravinsky can be convincingly performed on any combination of acoustic instruments/voices. Stravinsky, it is said, had a studio littered with Bach scores. Not surprised.
As a metal guitarist and orchestral conductor you have converted me to liking a guitar cover of a great piece. The rite has always been the most metal of any piece out there
Cause 4 hands are limited and this guys is overdubbing using a metronome to keep things together, which causes a lack of spirit and movement in the music … so you choose what you wanna miss out, some lines or parts of the spirit ;)
@@Quotenwagnerianer i doubt that stravinsky was thinking about mechanicism while writing when the topic is about the rise of spring, tribe dances and a spiritual ritual, which is all highly connected to a certain naturality and vividness and therefore needs spirit ;) and definetely not in a romantic way
@@nitnutz7650 my brother in Christ, orchestras refer to the conductor as the metronome, and two pianists cannot play four hands without a common meter for reference. What you mistake for spirit is actually just shitty rhythm and poor counting. Get good, scrub.
This is really brilliant. And while, of course, there’s always something a bit tongue in cheek about metal-meets-classical, here it completely makes sense. Not only does the Rite of Spring naturally sound a lot like prog metal, it may be even be the first djent work with its oddly syncopated poly-chords! Great cross-over and superbly executed.
@@rosshopkins2063more like really old school prog metal musicians always knew from the beginning or were, at the very least, directly influenced by it because they listened to a lot of classical and contemporary orchestral music… But to hear it in such stark contrast, yep. Those that don’t, definitely should.
Awesome job. I remember having discussion with my friend about how Rite of Spring was so modern and ground breaking and screaming to be made by a metal band. Robert Fripp and King Crimson were pioneer in bringing in a rock context avant-garde classical music like Bartok and Ravel and no wonder part of your arrangement sounds so much like a King Crimson on Steroids!...Well done 2 thumbs up
The Rite was disruptive 100 years ago, and continues to be disruptive. Stravinsky put all the pieces together necessary to forever change the trajectory of 20th Century (and beyond) music. It makes a huge impact on every composer who has studied it, and to all the composers and experimentalists who followed, it gave their works "legitimacy." It has been said that metal is the closest thing to classical music, and you have proven that, Maestro. To witness its far-reaching effect, listen to the score of any blockbuster. You will recognize it when film score composers like John WIlliams, Leonard Bernstein, Ennio Morricone, James Newton Howard, Lalo Schifrin, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Danny Elfman and many more pay homage to The Rite by including parts of it in their soundtracks. You have done justice to The Rite, and I thank you for introducing a new generation to it. It changed the Classical music world, it expanded my life the first time I heard it at age 7, and now at age 70, you have expanded my outlook again. Bravo!
This is genuinely one of the heaviest pieces of music I've ever heard. When it isn't an anxiety-inducing monstrosity it is a blasting wall of sound that puts many metal bands to shame. Stravinsky made a masterpiece, and your cover is masterful on its own
Genuinely one of the heaviest pieces ever written. 1913. Crazy right? I attended a lecture given about this piece with a famous composer in London years ago, on his shelf he kept a postcard from Starvinsky to De Falla written the day after the premier complaining about the audience not getting the piece. Still sounds so wonder now almost 110 years later.
Are fucking kidding?!?!?!?! Heavist pieces of music you've ever heard?!?!?! Did you started listen 7 months ago, is that it?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?! Holy SHIT!
One of the best transcriptions/adaptation I ever heard in my whole carreer..The way you performed and adapted the original textures, timbres, poliphony, chord structures, rhythm, density is superb. Congratulations this work is worthy of a doctorate in music! BRAVO
Just WOW! The late great, uniquely individual classical pianist, Glen Gould got it so right in his philosophy that a really unique, individual interpretation of a piece of great music can make that piece of music even greater...the terrifyingly futuristic 'Dr Who' vibe you so magically bestowed to this, one of my favourite orchestral works ever, really proves what a timeless monster of music magnificence 'The Rite of Spring' really is & always will be!!
After watching the entire video, all I can say is "damn, damn, DAMN!" Good sir, I was rendered completely gobsmacked by your rendition of "The Rite of Spring." Hell, I was picturing the choreography from the Joffrey Ballet as I was listening! Bravo, good sir! Bravo! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This is pretty ironic, considering the fact that Rite of Spring was essentially the metal of its time (extremely complex and aggressive) Anyways, I've been waiting for the full thing since part one and you did not disappoint. I've never seen any classical/neo-classical guitarist tackle such a long and complicated piece of music, let alone with such skill, accuracy and creativity. You are truly a master of your craft. Well fucking done, dude.
Metal has never been dissonant, and can't be, because electric guitars aren't nuanced enough to handle dissonance unless tuned really clean. To see dissonant guitar music, you need to look to Glenn Branca.
@@piotrd7355 Thanks for the heads up (I didn't know these bands, although I think I vaguely heard of Voivod years ago)! Listening to Voivod now. It still seems super-distorted and so diatonic, because you can't do dissonance so easily with distortion, because if you play a distorted F next to a distorted F#, it just sounds like sludge. When you play two neighboring notes clean, you can get nice effects. Although Voivod isn't dissonance the way I see it, they do have a ton of key changes for sure, and it's really proggy, and I kinda like it now too, on first listen. When I say dissonance, I mean beat-notes like this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-YuTGSVYS494.html . Each guitar is set up really clean, no distortion individually, but the blend creates beat-notes and harmonics naturally. Once you add distortion, the harmonics are so loud that it's hard to make dissonant combinations sound good.
@@annaclarafenyo8185 You wouldn’t say this recording handles the dissonance well? It sounds exactly as written to me. Actually highlights the dissonance BETTER than the orchestral version because the tones are more uniform.
You're a genius, man! Thank you so much for creating and sharing this masterpiece. I've heard it by parts before , but hearing it in full is a much more electrifying experience. The arrangement is masterful. You manage to give each instrument in the score the right metallic equivalent, using the guitar effects and some techniques like slide and others. Sometimes, while listening, I thought: this is the sonority that Stravinski was really looking for. It is known the case of the bassoon of the beginning, playing a melody out of the usual register of the instrument, precisely because the composer was looking for new sonorities. I am convinced that you have completely achieved a new sonority that "the Rite" seeks. Thank you very much and congratulations!!!
what's wild about this is the composition DOES actually sound like technical metal - but like WAY better technical metal than 99% of the actual genre. makes them sound lazy.
This is an extraordinary accomplishment. Literally crying listening to this now and marveling at both your and stravinsky's incredible effort to produce a work of such depth and beauty. Though I'm a fan of the bad plus and their work in general, your rendition is imho leagues ahead of theirs as we can actually hear all the parts! I'm hearing things Id never heard before in orchestral recordings, yet somehow the mix isn't too dense and everything blends wonderfully
Long time Le Sacre worshipper. This is an extraordinary re-think. Love it! (Robert Fripp once said of King Crimson that it was intended to "Bartok meets Hendrix". You have done your own "Stravinsky meets metal". Kudos!)
Thanks Chris, I actually recognised your name, I used to listen to the Splintered Soul EP quite a lot - shame the album didn't get released (yet?). All the best
@@JoeParrish Thanks Joe, I'm glad you enjoyed the EP. It was a shame the album hadn't been released, but that disappointment is currently in the process of being reconsidered.
John this is a momentous achievement! Apart from the original orchestral version this is by far the best arrangement of the world’s most unique piece of music (my goodness had Stravinsky been abducted by aliens before he wrote this?). The piano arrangement is far to bland because it only has one sound but by using the whole family of guitar sounds you have created new and very expressive colours to project the brilliance of the work. That combined with your guitar virtuoso ability transports the listener to another place or planet! However one of the most exceptional aspects of this recording is the filming of it! The closeups of the very active finger activity up and down the fret-board becomes the “ballet”. It is completely captivating. I think that you need to get some other guitarist of your ability plus bass and drummer and film projectionist and go on tour. It would be sensational! Thank you 🙏 thank you 🙏 thank you 🙏 🇦🇺🙏🎸👍👏💫🌙✨⚡️
I was blessed to be able to see Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” with my son at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris at 8:00 pm on May 29, 2013 where it premiered 100 years earlier to the day and caused the infamous riot. It was Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra with the Mariinsky ballet in original costumes with the Nijinski cheoreography. I will never see anything that cool again for the rest of my life. So that being said, not much impresses me .... EXCEPT WHAT YOU DID HERE!! Your arrangements are spot on with PINPOINT PRECISION - very nice work Joe! I’m not just a Stravinsky freak but I’m a guitarist of 45 years, and I have to say that’s a double wammy (pun) as far as being super impressed. (Your Holst videos are amazing also.) Please keep cranking these out!
Thanks mate, that sounds like a hell of an event to have been at! Planning on visiting the theatre myself at the end of this year. Amazing you were there for the anniversary, and I’m so pleased you thought this did the work justice. All the best!
@@JoeParrish Oh wow, so cool you're going to "Ground Zero" also Joe! Also, I'm sure Igor himself would have loved what you did in a perhaps baffled but impressed sort of way. I know his great granddaughter Marie .... I think I'll send it to her now. Take care man!
Whenever I read or see media on the infamous riot, all I can think of is Stravinsky saying “Guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet… but your kids are gonna love it” to the audience 😂
Honestly this is the best I could have hoped for. You did amazing, phrasing and everything. Also great job on the drums!! did you do those yourself too? or did you have a drummer arrange those?
I'm in total awe. Fantastic arrangements and such deft, precise playing. Your tone, as well as the mixing, are also splendid. Everything sounds superb. Kudos!
This video is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey Joe!!! You came up with an extraordinary job. I bet if Stravinsky was able to listen to this, he would have loved it................... I am sure!!!! Thank you!!! You made my day!!! Unfortunatelly, your ingenious work comes up and goes by through a massive bunch of posts every single minute. In older days you would have been credited with a masterpiece. This does not mean to say that your work is not a true masterpiece! It is by all means!!!
Astonishingly, this arrangement made it sound MELODIC. Wow. Also, paradoxically, with just the guitars it's easier to hear and parse the different voices and parts. And the tone is so beautiful!
Found this randomly on RU-vid. Thank you for your artistry and commitment to perform such a mammoth orchestral composition your own way. Heading to bandcamp to purchase the album now.
David Bruce sent me! This is super cool! I love Stravinsky and I didn’t think something like _The Rite of Spring_ could be translated to guitars so well!
This is really remarkable work. Congratulations and thank you for sharing! I didn't realize "Rite of Spring" entered the public domain until seeing this and investigated. For me, this goes to show 3 things; that one can love both metal and classical music. One who enjoys THIS might probably enjoy seeing/hearing one of the great orchestras performing it LIVE. It also tells me that classical music needs translation like this to serve a wider public, even if it can't (easily) be performed this way live. I think Stravinsky woulda been pretty happy with your extension of "primitivism."
Depends on where you are. In some countries it is about when the work was composed (which makes the most sense to me), in others, including mine, it is 70 years after the death of the composer (which is ludicrous. Why should their heirs benefit so long from the proceeds. It just doesn't make any sense). Anyway, this means that anything Stravinsky is NOT public domain yet, where I am. It will become public domain in 20 years.
Mannn... I don't have don't have words.. I'm really impressed! (And it takes a lot to impress me) As a drummer, metalhead, composer, fan of Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Vaughan Williams and many other, I often tought that it would be amazing if somebody would did it. And mannn... You absolutely nailed it!!!! I had to stop my air conditioner to appreciate your work(on my big sound system)!!! Your arrangement and cinematic/montage is amazing!! .. Sometimes we have great ideas but it's often hard to render it well!! This was just what I hoped I would hear one day! ..was somewhat a spiritual experience... Very glad you took your time and courage to accomplish this task: it is a monster to tackle!! .. God bless ya! 🙏🙏🙏 (Seriously)
Fascinating, you can hear Stravinslky's influence on modern metal and prog, especially in bands like King Crimson, Meshuggah and Animals As Leaders. I just listened to Leonard Bernstein's orchestral version and this is different but just as good. Damn you guys have won the internet as far as I'm concerned.
You Genius! Joe Parrish! You always make me notice that Pop music contains classical music, on the contrary, classical music contains. The Rite of Spring is composed complicated rhythm, but you play accurately by rock & metal instruments, so I can listen rhythm clearly and be exciting. I hope you will continue to challenge playing classical music by rock & metal instruments! I'm so happy meets this works. Best Regards!
Wow.....Stravinsky on guitar!!! This is so cool!!!!! So complex composition...and you arranged so well!!! I enjoyed this! I sent my support for you! Liked n Subbed!!
Excellent! I like this a lot. Have you taken any of Robert Fripp's classes? I notice you do a version of Jupiter, which was an early King Crimson standard.
I've never listened to the original, this has made me want to even tho I've never listened to classical music really before (more of a post-punk, prog, idm kinda guy)
That's awesome dude!! Some classical music can be definitely metal at times, I love it 🤭 Thanks to musicians like this uploader, it's a great way to bridge the genre gap. Though I'm a classically trained musician, I LOVE Prog rock, Metálica, Classic Rock, any kind of rock really lol
This is fucking amazing! Not only is it impressive on a technical level, it also works really well musically! I know the original rather well, so I had great fun listening to your version, as I was anticipating every section :)
Instead of kids playing guitar licks in their bedroom to impress the girls..... you did THIS!!! I created an Entire Accordion Arrangement and it to 2 years. I can only Imagine what this took to create and play. A+++. Needs Millions of views.
Amazing arrangement, which show your great understanding of the original piece. I love how you use different guitar sound to represent different section of the orchestra, and it works so well.
As with most great artistic endeavors the overwhelming majority of people will never understand how amazing this is. I’m assuming also that as with most great artistic endeavors you didn’t do it for the likes.
![Rite of Spring [COMPLETE] On Guitars](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
