Yngwie Malmsteen is a classical musician trapped in the body of
a rock & roll guitarist. I don’t think anyone who’s followed
the Swedish guitar virtuoso’s career would deny that – I don’t
think even Malmsteen would deny it. Yet as much as he seems to
enjoy rock music, there’s always been a part of Malmsteen which
seemed to cry out to do an actual classical album.
In 1998, Malmsteen got his chance with
Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra (I’m
truncating the title) – yet, for some reason or another, this disc
went all but unnoticed in America, as did quite the handful of
Malmsteen’s releases in the ’90s. Eight of these albums have now
been re-released, including
Concerto Suite (many of them with more detailed cover art –
the cover seen above is actually from the original release); we’ll
get to the other discs soon.
If there is one Malmsteen album that is a must-own, this is most
definitely the one. I mean no slight against Malmsteen’s forays
into the world of heavy metal, nor do I wish to deny him the title
of guitar god he’s earned over the course of the past 16 years. But
Malmsteen accurately re-creates what good baroque-style classical
music was, with the modern twist of a screaming Stratocaster.
Oh, sure, this could have been a risky venture with the Czech
Philharmonic. Malmsteen could have easily turned his volume up to
11 and drowned out the work of his fellow musicians, losing them in
a flurry of hammerons and pulloffs. Instead, Malmsteen wisely
allows his work to blend with the orchestra, not overpower it. What
this allows for is the electric guitar to truly become a member of
the orchestra, and everything comes together in a wonderful
blend.
What Malmsteen also does is blends the world of electric and
classical guitar (if he’s not playing a classical at times, he sure
fooled me) wonderfully. In selections like “Prelude To April” and
“Toccatta,” Malmsteen may get to some serious shredding, but he
also shows how beautiful of a guitarist he can be. Even in the
powerful selections like “Icarus Dream Fanfare,” “Presto Vivace”
and “Finale,” Malmsteen makes you almost think you’re listening to
a plugged-in piece from Bach or Paganini. Imagine some people’s
surprise when they discover that the whole suite was written by
Malmsteen – incredible!
Malmsteen’s selection of the Czech Philharmonic is also
inspired. I mean no disrespect to any symphony in America, but I
just don’t think they could have captured the nuances as well as a
European collective (especially working with a European-born
guitarist). This is simply a synthesis of talent that comes
together to form one unique voice.
Classical music may never make a musician rich, with rare
exception, and Malmsteen has most definitely left his mark as one
of this generation’s most talented rock guitarists. But
Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra proves that
Malmsteen is equally as skilled as a classical composer and
musician. Here’s hoping he continues to challenge himself by
writing more works like this.
