Amazon.com: Rock Symphonies: David Garrett: Music

About the Artist

David Garrett - the best-selling new classical artist of 2009 - brings listeners along on a roller coaster ride of genres colliding on his sophomore album, Rock Symphonies. Rock Symphonies displays Garrett's love of both classical and rock, marrying the two genres with a fierce intensity. Featuring new interpretations of his favorite rock anthems by U2, Nirvana, Metallica and Aerosmith to name a few, David's virtuosic violin playing shines through with precision and power, backed by his band and The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. With his new Public Television concert special slated for an August broadcast, David Garrett is poised to be the breakout star of the summer. Rock Symphonies will be released in the U.S. on Decca July 20th.

The evolution of Rock Symphonies was a natural one for the 28-year-old Garrett. Having spent 2009 on tour in all corners of the world, he would find himself performing in clubs to arenas with a live rock band one night, followed by a classical concert hall with full symphony orchestra the next. Having a dual career is a rarity, and doing it successfully even more so. The bold violinist has always been a fan of both the classical and rock worlds he straddles. "I always enjoyed when rock groups integrated orchestra into in their sound, and it elevated the music to another level," comments Garrett. He continues, "any musician loves having the full sound of an orchestra behind them - it's an amazing experience."

Rock Symphonies main recording sessions took place at New York City's famed Electric Lady Studios, with the orchestra recorded in Prague. Highlights of the album include "Vivaldi Vs. Vertigo," a mashup of Vivaldi and U2's Vertigo, Nirvana's classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Led Zeppelin's timeless "Kashmir," and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," featuring a guest performance by Aussie guitar sensation Orianthi (seen in Michael Jackson's "This Is It"). Orianthi also joined Garrett on stage in Germany recently for his new Public Television concert special, "Rock Symphonies," to air on PBS throughout August on stations across the country.

David Garrett has been winning over audiences since the release of his self-titled debut album in June 2009. His numerous appearances have included performances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Today Show, Fox News Channel, CBS Saturday Early Show and his first PBS smash, "Live In Berlin." His technically jaw-dropping performance of "Flight of the Bumblebee," was recorded in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest-ever performance of the piece (a blistering 66 seconds), wowing crowds the world over. In addition to being the best-selling new classical artist of 2009, he was also Billboard's #9 highest-charting new artist overall, across all genres. His CD David Garrett, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart, and held the #1 position for nine weeks, remaining in the Top 10 for over 40 subsequent weeks .

David Garrett began playing violin at age four, and was signed to the prestigious classical music label Deutsche Grammophon by thirteen. Without telling his parents, he later fled Germany for New York, where he was accepted at the world famous Juilliard music school, studying under the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman. As a way to pay the bills, he moonlit as a busboy and model, landing him in the pages of Vogue and the Fashion Week catwalks for Armani. He subsequently has gained international stardom, with gold and platinum selling discs internationally, and chart-topping albums in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Far East and a Top 20 UK hit. His charisma, passion and dedication to the violin defy categorization

He's a star everywhere from the catwalk to the Billboard charts, but violinist David Garrett is ready to conquer new terrain with his groundbreaking Rock Symphonies album, available on Decca July 20th, just in time for his newest PBS special.

This international superstar has quickly amassed a huge and devoted audience--especially of a much younger fanbase than the listeners usually associated with classical music. His fresh, vibrant take on classical music has shot new life into this genre. He has gained international stardom, with chart-topping albums and gold and platinum selling discs across Europe, in the UK and the Far East.

The super-powered David has experienced huge success with American audiences as well. Not only was he Billboard's best-selling new classical music artist of 2009, but was the # 9 overall New Artist across all genres. His debut album for Decca, David Garrett, debuted at No. 1 on the Classical Crossover chart, and maintained its presence there for 31 solid weeks. In addition, David has been featured on Oprah, Fox & Friends, E! News, the Today Show, CBS Saturday Morning, CNN, and Good Morning America as well as NPR's "All Things Considered."

David's first music special for PBS, "Live in Berlin," was an enormous hit as well, and was broadcast during March, June, August, September, and December pledge drives. Following on the heels of his hit PBS special, David toured the U.S. extensively with sold-out dates nationwide.

Rock Symphonies brings together two of this German-born violinist's two great loves: classical music and the rock music of his generation.

"For many years, I've wanted to bring classical music to a younger audience," confides David, who was soloing with the greatest orchestras in the world by the time he was ten years old. "And I've seen fantastic results--I have a wonderful young audience enjoying Beethoven, Bach and Brahms, so that's a dream come true for me." It's a vision that he has worked towards all his life from his pre-adolescent performances with the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Russian National Orchestra to his concerts with legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin by age 12.

When he was thirteen years old, David signed a contract as a solo artist with one of the world's greatest classical record labels, Deutsche Grammophon. "I probably have spent more hours in my life playing violin than sleeping," the violinist, who began playing at age four, laughs. He still maintains an active classical career, playing concertos with traditional symphony orchestras.

But rock music has always been a real passion for David as well--and his concerto nights are interspersed with arena and club shows internationally with his own band. Rock Symphonies, recorded with the City of Prague Orchestra, is a love letter to his favorite bands, like Nirvana ("Smells Like Teen Spirit"), Guns N' Roses ("November Rain" as well as their cover of Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die"), Aerosmith ("Walk This Way"), U2 ("Vertigo"), Metallica ("Master of Puppets"), and Led Zeppelin ("Kashmir"). "I'm very big fan of 80s rock, of power ballads and that kind of stuff," David says. "And I think adding an orchestra elevates rock to a whole different level." The project is made all the more special by the appearance of the blistering, young Australian guitarist-singer Orianthi on "Walk This Way" who has previously worked with Carlos Santana, Carrie Underwood and Michael Jackson (where she performs on the international smash film "This Is It"). This summer Orianthi is on tour opening for Adam Lambert and also appears on the "Rock Symphonies" PBS special.

For David Garrett, whose idols go from Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page to his former teachers Itzhak Perlman and Ida Haendel, there shouldn't be any hierarchy between genres. "Choosing repertoire is very instinctive," David observes. "For this project, it was quite easy. We had a theme--rock--and we chose things with a very strong rhythmical vibe, whether it was Beethoven or Metallica. The concept of "Rock Symphonies" has been on my mind for a very long time. I've always thought that there was a very strong connection between classical and rock; there's a very strong sense of rhythm and a very strong sense of precision in both."

Certain tracks, like "Kashmir" and "Walk This Way," are absolute naturals for Rock Symphonies (as David notes, Aerosmith already paved the way for genre crossing with their now-classic collaboration with Run-DMC). But some choices are more surprising, like an innovative mashup of U2's "Vertigo" with Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and a revisiting of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which of course experienced life as a disco favorite in the late 1970s--here, it's recreated as a hard-rock headbanger's special. "Beethoven was someone with rock-star appeal," David explains. "The real definition of a rock star is someone who's extremely passionate about music, somebody who's a genius, and tries not to be afraid of exploring. Beethoven was definitely not a follower."

David winces when he's asked if this is a covers album. "That would be the most horrible thought," he says wryly. "First of all, I tried to view every song from a very different angle than the original, and sometimes even changed the whole character of the piece. Secondly, not using vocals gives a lot of freedom."

Born in Aachen, Germany with an American ballerina mother and a German lawyer as a father, David and his family were nurturing his international solo career since his early childhood. By his teens, he was subject to a grueling schedule of symphonic concerts and recordings--but even by then, he longed to escape that life. Without telling his parents, he fled to New York, where his life revolved around rock, clubbing, and a seemingly deserved rebellion, abandoning the classical violin.

But even in that hedonistic milieu, he realized that he missed the instrument that had been such a crucial part of his identity. He decided to audition at the world-famous Juilliard School, where he was not only accepted as a student, but also invited to join the studio of one of classical music's most legendary artists, Itzhak Perlman.

While he was at Juilliard, David began picking up various side jobs, including modeling gigs. His intense, chiseled looks quickly earned him a place in such magazines as Vogue and on the catwalk for Armani during Fashion Week. With such a fashion pedigree, his personal style is also a great hybrid of influences. "My fashion sense is very rock," David observes, "though I like to wear a suit too. I like to mix it up." That's true for his music-making as well - as evidenced on his groundbreaking Rock Symphonies album.

Product Description

Recorded at the historic Electric Lady Studios in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City this release further shows Garrett's love of the classics and rock. Spanning decades; David interpets some the all time classic rock hit's such as Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" (featuring Orianthe on guitar) "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from Nirvana, Led Zepplin's "Kashmir", the Creedance Clearwater Revival classic "Rocking All Over The World", Guns N Roses "November Rain", Metallica's "Master Of Puppets", Queen's "Bicycle Race" and more. Also included David show's his versatility on tracks such as Vivaldi/Vertigo (U2), Peer Gynt, Beethoven's 5th. and others.

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60 of 62 people found the following review helpful

A Very Creative Meshing of Two Genres July 20, 2010

By Gary Anderson

Format:MP3 Download|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've always been a fan of music that crosses genres. Artists like Mike Phillips who mixes hip hop and jazz so well, or the Finnish band "Apocalyptica" who play heavy metal on Cellos.

And of course the "Hip Hop Violinist" herself, Miri Ben Ari who has been featured with such hip hop artists as Kanye West, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Akon, Styles P and others.

I first listened to the snippets of the album, because as much as I love this kind of thing, it's often very hit or miss. For every Miri Ben Ari or Apocalyptica there's a whole slew of others that make you want to burn your ears off.

After listening to three snippets, I immediately bought it. Even if it had been 10 dollars I would have gotten it, because this is really good music.

He covers a wide range of Rock music from Nirvana (Smells Like Teen Spirit) and Guns N'Roses (November Rain) back to Aerosmith (Walk this way) and Led Zeppelin (Kashmir), and also throws in some classical classics such as Beethoven's 5th and Toccata.

I remember the first time I heard Apocalyptica was while viewing the film "Your Friends and Neighbors" in the theater while living in Charlottesville Virginia. I heard them playing Metallica songs on Cellos during the opening and closing credits and was amazed. I had never heard anything like that before.

I felt that again while listening to Garrett's album because I think even though I've heard this type of thing before, it's still something that takes me aback. It's not something you hear every day. You don't turn on the radio and hear this. You tend to hear the same 10-25 songs a day (several times a day) and there's very little exposure to true artists like Garrett.

One of the definite highlights of this album has to be, hands down, his track "Vivaldi vs. Vertigo" in which he brilliantly mashes up the classical Vivaldi with U2's "Vertigo". I actually listened to this several times and just marveled at how great it worked together.

Also his performance of Aerosmith's Walk this way was a powerhouse due to Garrett's fiery violin playing, and the guitars of Orianthi, who was featured in Michael Jackson's "This is It" movie).

Garrett, who studied at Julliard under the legendary wings of Itzhak Perlman, shines brightly on this album, and I imagine that he's got a great career ahead of him.

If you enjoy creative and highly enjoyable music, then this album is for you. The great thing about this album, and others like it, is it really shows you that there's no more lines in music. There's nowhere you can't go.

There are no more limits. The only limitation is your imagination and your creativity and your abilities. As the famous quote says, "If you can dream it, you can achieve it".

And no better example of that lies at the heart of this album.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Not So Much August 2, 2010

By Margo

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I got this CD as soon as I saw the amazon ad for it. His earlier CD David Garrett was mind-blowing (and I am a grandma!) and I was anxious to play this when it arrived. Okay, so DG is a brilliant violinist and it shows on this album. BUT I doubt he had much to do with the production end of it. He does some great arrangements but some of the cuts here lack his usual vitality. What is most disappointing, though, is the editing. Poor sound quality, the mixing borders on horrible. This is studio work of the worst kind. My feeling is that his producers wanted to rush this out in prep for the spectacular DVD Rock Symphonies available now only from PBS (for the usual overprice donation).
What I want to say most of all here is that if you saw the DVD on PBS, don't expect this CD to be made of cuts of the live performance. The two media only have a name and a very few cuts in common. And none of the jaw-dropping fervor. After hearing DG Live in Berlin, I bought the CD and waited for the release of the DVD, again, a much superior product. "It is not available." on amazon and PBS doesn't have it either. Huh???????????? Maybe if we all scream, his record label will issue a CD of the Rock Symphonies DVD ....
Perhaps it's that some of the excitement about hearing his virtuosity is lost without his obvious delight in playing toe to toe with his bass guitarists and other members of his orchestra in a live venue. His duet with Orianthe is lackluster on this CD; it is a powerhouse on the DVD.
So why four stars instead of three? For those who want more (actually, less for us fans since there are only a few cuts)exposure to this kind of music, you can hear a few great licks sampled here and do ITunes. But to hear the real artist, buy the David Garrett CD. I have several earlier ones, including those for Deutchgrammaphon where he is strictly classical -- and younger. You can see why he is the longtime favorite of Europeans.
Finally, here are some cuts not included in this CD: Schubert' Serenade a la Garrett style, I'll Be There and Billie Jean with Orianthe in a killer performance,Mission Impossible, Child's Anthem, the Pretenders' I'll Stand by You, Zorba, Albinioni's Adagio, Grieg's Peer Gynt Last Movement, and a poignant Hey, Jude where his 13K audience sings to his mike as he plays.
For others of a certain age, his inspriration for combining classical music with rock are U2, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, the Beatles. But, in a short interview, he says he really bases his selections on the great artists who play their instruments with precision and passion, notably the bass guitars. If you love Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and the Baroque, you will be delighted with this man's work, a classically trained prodigy who was mentored at Julliard by Izak Perlman.
If you love the violin, you will find DG "awesome."
I have this CD and it'll go into the glove box of the car. But to hear the real Rock Symphonies, I'm calling PBS for the DVD ....

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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful

Lacks the sparkle of earlier albums... July 30, 2010

By VCQ TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

David Garrett's new album "Rock Symphonies" marks his first new crossover work in several years (2009's David Garrett was largely drawn from David's existing European albums Free and Virtuoso). I loved his mashups of classical vs. pop on his previous albums, and had eagerly awaited "Rock Symphonies." Starting with the majorly-airbrushed album cover (note a partially bare-chested David brandishing his 1772 Guadagnini like an electric guitar that's about to get shredded on stage) and liner notes, David rocks the Kurt Cobain grunge look well...almost an eerie resemblance. Unfortunately, the album itself left me disappointed.

Now, I'm not a big fan of rock / metal, so I'm probably not the intended audience for the album, although I did watch MTV in its infancy and had a fascination with White Lion, Poison and Guns n' Roses as a kid. David's violin is eerily effective at angsty caterwauling on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and imparts menace on Metallica's "Master of Puppets." However, I question some of the production choices: in the middle of Paul McCartney & Wings "Live and Let Die," the interlude sounds like the soundtrack from the classic computer game The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition [Online Game Code]. Led Zepplin's "Kashmir" fares better; the haunting "Kashmir" has echoes of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Song of India" woven throughout. "Walk This Way" had a kind of hoedown vibe; it would have been infinitely cooler to mashup "Walk This Way" with "Cotton-Eyed Joe"(see Vivaldi vs. Vertigo below).

The classical side of the house fares better, with hardcore versions of Albeniz's "Asturias," Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor (the unofficial Halloween anthem) and "Winter" from Vivaldi. The version of "Asturias" veers into ad-libbing, but also incorporates some delightful Spanish flair into the orchestra's cues. The Toccata was great. Vivaldi vs. Vertigo, however, lacked the rock punch found on David's version of "Summer" on "David Garrett." U2 was almost lost in the background; I would have added some much-needed drama by moving the U2 vocals as the intro to the song, counting in with "uno, dos, tres, catorce" rather than muddying the vocals in the background (again, I wasn't familiar with "Vertigo," so I had to look it up and listen to the song to recognize it woven into Vivaldi vs. Vertigo).

In my opinion, the original song "'80s Anthem" was bland; it sounded a lot like some of David's original compositions off his previous albums (songs like "A New Day," "Chelsea Girl," "Eliza's Song," etc.). I would have much rather seen David's earlier works "Rock Prelude" and "Rock Toccata" recycled; those tracks are way more hardcore than anything on "Rock Symphonies." The much-hyped appearance of Orianthi on "Walk This Way" was kind of muted (although I've heard that the David / Orianthi duet really rocks in his live concert DVD from Berlin); there are more poignant guitar solos elsewhere (there's a lovely call-and-response line in the intro to "Live and Let Die" that was heavenly, but the guitar mostly fades into the background).

Overall, Rock Symphonies is a good album, not great. It kind of grew on me after a few days of listening, but there weren't nearly as many catchy songs as on David's previous releases, nothing with the edge-of-your-seat intensity of "Smooth Criminal" or AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" or even David's original crossover compositions like "Rock Prelude" or "Rock Toccata." If I had to sum up "Rock Symphonies" in one word, it would be "underwhelming." However, David's one of those artists who is even more impressive live, so I'm giving these songs another chance. I've pledged to PBS and am looking forward to seeing David perform these songs live in concert on his Rock Symphonies DVD filmed in Berlin. I'll also order the German version of the Rock Symphonies DVD, which has nearly twice the tracks as the PBS version.

Verdict: fans of David will want to snap this up (and the accompanying PBS pledge exclusive Rock Symphonies DVD filmed in Berlin), but newcomers are better off checking out David's earlier work such as his eponymous North American debut David Garrett or Virtuoso.