Christopher “Hammerhead” Schlegel
Symphony No. 3 – “The Virtues of Man”
Truth Against The World
Remember when your friends in high school told you not to read Ayn Rand? All that stuff about how it’s just unrealistic fantasy and will brainwash you? This is what really happens. This is a brilliant orchestrated computer-sequenced symphony by objectivist composer, Christopher Aaron Schlegel. Each of the very interesting seven tracks (or movements) represent one of the seven virtues named in John Galt’s speech in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
In “Rationality” (my personal favorite, and one of the first examples from which I learned the technique of rapid and frequent modulation), he uses and expands on a familiar and very catchy theme from one of his earlier Fish Patrol songs, originally titled “The Big Theme.” I must add that it is much bigger this time around. “Independence” sounds slightly Baroque (no offense) and uses a lot of I-bII and unexpected lydian bits. Its aggravating mood suits the name. “Integrity” is a perfect example of his unique, very square and twisted/pissed off Gershwin harmonic ideas, which always border of tense chromatic dissonance. It makes you feel like you are about to fall of a cliff, but not sure in which direction. “Honesty” sounds like a definite Star Trek video game theme candidate. My second favorite. If I am correct, it’s got parallel fifths galore, and also some stiff parallel harmonic shifts. And then a really cool tritone harp thing. Sounds like a majestic anthem from another planet. “Justice” does the ii-V-ii-V thing. Beautiful. Lots of inversions and pounding timpani. “Productiveness” is also very harmonically painful and confusing. His constantly weaving harmonies have the same effect that Danny Elfman’s timbre-shifts have on me. This track contains some fast borrowed-rhythm lead runs, which is something I enjoy greatly. The melody to “Pride” reminded me of the spirit of Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony, but WAY better.
This man just cannot leave a simple melody alone! Party! And at the end, right when you think it’s all over, he launches into an extremely cool reharmonization. Just wait until this gets played by a real orchestra. Just wait. Truth Against The World Music Co., 172 Forrest Ave. E., McKenzie, TN 38201 http://www.cookeee.com/truthmusic
