SERJ TANKIAN’S ELECT THE DEAD SYMPHONY GOES BIG SCREEN – A TOP STORY THIS WEEK
antiMUSIC.com
01/27/2010
Serj Tankian’s Elect the Dead Symphony Goes Big Screen was a top story
for this week. Here it is again: A reader forwarded this announcement:
Reprise Records and Serj Tankian have teamed up with theatrical
distributor Cinema Purgatorio to present a series of nationwide
screenings of Tankian’s Elect the Dead Symphony – a very special
orchestral interpretation of Tankian’s critically acclaimed solo
debut Elect the Dead. The dynamic one-off performance was recorded
and filmed in HD by six cameras at the majestic Auckland Town Hall
in New Zealand with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
The dramatic result has been captured in the Elect the Dead Symphony
– a CD/DVD that will be released by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records
on March 9th, 2010. Confirmed screening dates are below with more
in the works. Many of the shows have been suggested by fans and are
being organized in conjunction with the Armenian-American community,
including the Armenian National Committee of America (anca.org)
With the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at his side, Tankian’s epic
songs and operatic vocals on Elect the Dead Symphony take on a whole
new sense of grandeur when performed by a full 70-piece orchestra,
while the DVD’s sweeping edits showcase the drama of the concert. This
unique meshing of two very different musical worlds was a vision
Tankian has long wanted to make a reality. What sets Elect The Dead
Symphony apart from other successful pairings between rock artists
and orchestras is that Tankian specifically rearranged his songs to
be performed with only orchestral instruments.
A reader forwarded this announcement: Reprise Records and Serj Tankian
have teamed up with theatrical distributor Cinema Purgatorio to present
a series of nationwide screenings of Tankian’s Elect the Dead Symphony
– a very special orchestral interpretation of Tankian’s critically
acclaimed solo debut Elect the Dead. The dynamic one-off performance
was recorded and filmed in HD by six cameras at the majestic Auckland
Town Hall in New Zealand with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
The dramatic result has been captured in the Elect the Dead Symphony
– a CD/DVD that will be released by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records
on March 9th, 2010. Confirmed screening dates are below with more
in the works. Many of the shows have been suggested by fans and are
being organized in conjunction with the Armenian-American community,
including the Armenian National Committee of America (anca.org)
With the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at his side, Tankian’s epic
songs and operatic vocals on Elect the Dead Symphony take on a whole
new sense of grandeur when performed by a full 70-piece orchestra,
while the DVD’s sweeping edits showcase the drama of the concert. This
unique meshing of two very different musical worlds was a vision
Tankian has long wanted to make a reality. What sets Elect The Dead
Symphony apart from other successful pairings between rock artists
and orchestras is that Tankian specifically rearranged his songs to
be performed with only orchestral instruments.
"I was elated to have the opportunity to arrange my songs from Elect
the Dead for a full orchestra with the APO," Tankian says. "The
arrangements are quite different than those on the record, including
bonus tracks never played live." Both bonus tracks, "Gate 21"
and "The Charade," have never been released and are included on
the CD, CD/DVD, and vinyl formats of Elect the Dead Symphony. The
DVD also features rare and intimate backstage footage, as well as
one-on-one interviews with Tankian and various members of the Auckland
Philharmonia Orchestra.
The album contains elements of rock morphed into classical, and
skewed time signatures that Tankian has made his own, all of which
were scored by Tankian himself and orchestrated for the full ensemble
by respected New Zealand composer John Psathas. The album has been
mixed by Dutch musician Junkie XL, known for his remixes for such
artists as Britney Spears, Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Michael Buble,
Madonna, Scissor Sisters, Sarah McLachlan, and many more.
Elect the Dead was released by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records on
October 12th, 2007 and received glowing reviews from various media,
including the Los Angeles Times, which called it "brutally engaging
guitar-rock" with "steely lyricism and throttling textures," while
Rolling Stone noted that it "delivers amped, intricate, and political
hard rock."
Confirmed screening dates for Elect the Dead Symphony are as follows:
2/19 Portland, OR The Hollywood 2/19 Indianapolis, IN Republic Theatres
2/19-20 Bloomington, IN The Ryder at the Fine Arts 2/19-21 New Concord,
OH Muskingum University 2/20 Providence, RI The Cable Car (9 pm) 2/20
Seattle, WA Northwest Film Forum 2/21 San Antonio, TX Alamo Drafthouse
Westlakes 2/21 New York, NY The Leonard Nimoy Theatre @ Symphony Space
2/22 Somerville, MA The Coolidge Corner 2/26-27 Salt Lake City, UT
The Tower 2/27 New Haven, CT Criterion Cinemas (8 pm) 3/04 Syracuse,
NY The Palace Theatre 3/06 Shreveport, LA Robinson Film Center 3/07
Chicago, IL CIMM Festival at Lincoln Hall