Music Mash-Ups: Rock + Chopin, Rock + Opera

And one more thrown in for good measure!

If you’re like me, one of the coolest things to find is an amazing mash-up book, like with a fairy tale re-imagined in a different world or a horror retelling of a literary classic (I’m looking at you, Jane Slayre). But what I’ve been discovering more and more lately is that music can be a mash-up, too, and when it is…well, let’s just say it can be pretty cool.

So behold! My top 3 music mash-ups (at different levels of mash-upiness.)

1. The Beatles + middle eastern vibes = Temples

What do you get when you take The Beatles’ vocal style to some middle eastern-sounding licks? The amazing band known as “Temples.” “The Golden Throne” is one of my favorite tracks off their “Sun Structures” album but the whole thing is pretty fantastic.

2. Rock + Chopin = Muse

More specifically, the whole first part of “United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage” gives me major Queen vibes. But then at the very end it morphs seamlessly into one of Frederic Chopin’s most gorgeous piano nocturnes straight out of the 19th century but now layered with a few breathy vocals and other sounds.

P.S. If you’re interested, Muse does some other cool classical mash-up stuff like writing a 3-part “symphony” at the end of this “Resistance” album (don’t worry, it’s not anywhere close to as long as an actual symphony). I’d definitely recommend checking it out!

3. Rock + opera (and no, I’m not talking about rock operas…)

What could be cooler than a classical opera number turned into a rock song?? Not much in my experience. “La Donna È Mobile Redux” is just one of the amazing tracks off the East Village Opera Company’s self-titled album. I could go on and on about these tracks, but I think I’ll let the music speaks for itself.

I’m always on the hunt for new, cool music mash-ups to listen to, so let me know what your favorites are in the comments below!

You might also like: Songs for Every Book: Arcade Fire and The Phantom of the Opera and The Who’s Tommy: A Rock Opera (As Experienced by an Assistant Director)