Maps of Music

Orca Symphony No. 1 (2012)

Where the lyrics of Orca Symphony No. 1 take you, and where it was really made.

The album was recorded in a concert hall in Linz, Austria, and was not written as a rock record: Serj Tankian called it his first complete symphony.

Key places

Where the album was recorded in Linz (2012)

Recording site Brucknerhaus — Orca Symphony No. 1 was recorded in Linz, Austria, in October 2012. The recording was made with the Das Karussel Ensemble under Werner Steinmetz. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Orca Symphony No. 1: fourth studio album by Armenian-American musician Serj Tankian
• The album takes the form of a classical symphony
• Four acts: Victorious Orcinus, Oceanic Subterfuge, Delphinus Capensis, Lamentation of the Beached
• Studio version professionally sampled and released on November 30, 2012
• Live recorded version released on June 25, 2013 through Serjical Strike Records
• Sample of the first act posted on Tankian's SoundCloud page in May 2012

Background

• Tankian became known as a member of the Armenian rock band System of a Down
• The band went on hiatus in 2006, which gave Tankian room to start a solo career
• His classical experiments began with Elect the Dead Symphony, a live album with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
• Those reworked songs came from his debut album Elect the Dead
• His second album, Imperfect Harmonies, blended classical with traditional rock elements
• Orca Symphony No. 1 is his first complete symphony
• The album is structured into four acts that were composed using non-traditional approaches to classical music

Recording

• Recorded in October 2012 in Linz, Austria
• Composed and made into demos in Tankian's home studio
• Performed by the Das Karussel Ensemble, conducted by Werner Steinmetz

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Armenian parents.
• Moved to Los Angeles at age 7 during the Lebanese Civil War.
• Known as lead vocalist and primary lyricist of System of a Down, formed in 1994.

Career

• Five albums with System of a Down; five solo albums including Elect the Dead (2007), Imperfect Harmonies (2010), Harakiri (2012), Orca Symphony No. 1 (2013), and Elasticity (2021).
• Co-founded the activist organization Axis of Justice with Tom Morello in 2002.
• Composed music for film and television, including I Am Not Alone (2019) and Netflix's Down to Earth with Zac Efron.
• Published the memoir Down With the System in 2024.

Recognition

• Ranked No. 26 on Hit Parader's "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists" (2006).
• Awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal in 2011.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Studio version professionally sampled and released on November 30, 2012
• Live recorded version released on June 25, 2013, through Serjical Strike Records
• Serjical Strike Records released the album; the Discogs notes credit the copyright and phonographic rights to Serj Tankian and license them exclusively to Serjical Strike, Inc.
• Tankian posted a sample of the first act on his SoundCloud page in May 2012 before the full release
• The album is presented as one continuous symphonic work rather than a collection of songs
• The Discogs master entry describes it as the fourth studio album by Serj Tankian, originally composed in 2012
• Critical reception is not described in the source material

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• A sample of the first act was posted on Tankian's SoundCloud page in May 2012, months before the studio version came out.
• Tankian explained the title: the orca is known as the killer whale, but he describes it as a dark dolphin, a symbol of human dichotomy.
• Tankian's earlier classical work, Elect the Dead Symphony, used reworked songs from his debut album.
• The album's four acts are named for orca and dolphin species and behaviors, including the beached whale in the final act.
• The live version was released about seven months after the studio version.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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