And Then There Is Apocalyptica

I have listened to rock. I have listened to classical. But, I never really knew either one, till I listened to Apocalyptica. My flatmate, who is a fan, bought tickets for their show when they toured Minneapolis last week, and I went along out of pure curiosity. Till the day of the concert, I was just too lazy to check out their music, which was perfect in hindsight, as what I experienced was well nigh a revelatory experience. Apocalyptica is a Finnish band, and consists of three cellists and a drummer. The cellists are the alumni of the Sibelius conservatory in Helsinki. They know their Bach and Beethoven alright. But, the staple of the band is instrumental renditions of covers of rock songs, like those of Metallica and a few of their own. The performances are chock full of inspired bravado and instrumental finesse. In a blink, Cellos are transmogrified into electric guitars and then into pianos and flutes. Like Deff Lepard threw about their guitars, Apocalyptica play the cellos raised high over their head, held aloft in a single hand. Then, there is the surreal feel of trademark let-your-hair-down routine where the two lead cellists swirl their long locks in symmetric circles in tandem, while their fingers gyrate on the cellos. This is a terrific show these guys put on, don’t miss out if they tour your city.