The Classical Conspiracy

The Classical Conspiracy
Live album by Epica
Released	May 8, 2009
Recorded	June 14, 2008 in Miskolc, Hungary during the Miskolc Opera Festival
Genre	Symphonic metal
Length	143:56
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Epica, Sascha Paeth
Epica chronology
The Divine Conspiracy (2007) The Classical Conspiracy (2009) Design Your Universe (2009)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
About.com	[2]
Live-Metal.net	[3]
Lords Of Metal	[4]
Metal Asylum	[5]
Rock Sound	[6]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

The Classical Conspiracy is the second live album released by the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. The recorded live show took part in Miskolc, Hungary on June 14, 2008 in the framework of the Miskolc Opera Festival, where the Swedish symphonic metal band Therion had done a similar show a year before. Epica performed on stage with a 40-piece orchestra and a 30-piece choir, entirely composed of Hungarian musicians conducted by Zsolt Regos. The expanded ensemble played classical music, excerpts from operas and movie soundtracks, as well as Epica's songs. The album was released on May 8, 2009 through Nuclear Blast Records.^[7]

This is the first album featuring Ariën van Weesenbeek as the new official drummer of Epica and also the last album with founding member an lead guitarist Ad Sluijter, who had already left the band when the album was released.^[8]

Track listing

CD 1 Classical set
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Palladium"	Yves Huts	3:46
2.	"Dies Irae" (from "Requiem")	Giuseppe Verdi	2:15
3.	"Ombra Mai Fu" (from "Xerxes")	George Frideric Handel	3:06
4.	"Adagio" (from "New World Symphony")	Antonín Dvořák	9:02
5.	"Spider-Man Medley"	Danny Elfman	4:16
6.	"Presto" (from "The Four Seasons")	Antonio Vivaldi	3:06
7.	"Montagues and Capulets" (from "Romeo and Juliet")	Sergei Prokofiev	2:11
8.	"The Imperial March" (from "Star Wars Episode V")	John Williams	3:25
9.	"Stabat Mater Dolorosa" (from "Stabat Mater")	Giovanni Battista Pergolesi	4:31
10.	"Unholy Trinity"	Yves Huts	3:11
11.	"In the Hall of the Mountain King" (from "Peer Gynt")	Edvard Grieg	3:11
12.	"Pirates of the Caribbean Medley" (European release only)	Hans Zimmer/Klaus Badelt	6:44
13.	"Indigo"	Mark Jansen/Coen Janssen	2:04
14.	"The Last Crusade"	Mark Jansen/Yves Huts/Ad Sluijter	4:18
15.	"Sensorium"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter/Coen Janssen/Simone Simons	5:06
16.	"Quietus"	Epica	4:22
17.	"Chasing the Dragon"	Mark Jansen/Yves Huts/Coen Janssen/Simone Simons	8:03
18.	"Feint"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter/Coen Janssen/Simone Simons	4:34

CD 2 Epica set
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Never Enough"	Yves Huts	5:37
2.	"Beyond Belief"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter/Simone Simons	5:28
3.	"Cry for the Moon"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter/Simone Simons	7:44
4.	"Safeguard to Paradise"	Yves Huts/Mark Jansen/Coen Janssen	3:59
5.	"Blank Infinity"	Mark Jansen/Coen Janssen/Simone Simons	4:45
6.	"Living a Lie"	Mark Jansen/Yves Huts/Ad Sluijter	5:24
7.	"The Phantom Agony"	Mark Jansen/Yves Huts/Ad Sluijter	10:30
8.	"Sancta Terra"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter/Simone Simons	5:11
9.	"Illusive Consensus"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter/Coen Janssen/Simone Simons	5:45
10.	"Consign to Oblivion"	Mark Jansen/Ad Sluijter	12:06

Personnel

Band members

• Simone Simons – mezzo-soprano vocals
• Mark Jansen – rhythm guitar, grunts, screams, band arrangements on tracks 2, 6
• Ad Sluijter – lead guitar, editing
• Yves Huts – bass guitar, band arrangements on tracks 5, 7, 8, 11, 12
• Coen Janssen – synthesizer, piano, orchestral and choir arrangements, band arrangements on tracks 2, 4, 7
• Ariën van Weesenbeek – drums

Additional musicians

• The Extended Reményi Ede Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Zsolt Regos
• The Choir of Miskolc National Theatre
• Oliver Palotai - orchestral arrangements

Production

• Sascha Paeth - producer, mixing, mastering
• Daniel Hidvegi, Tamas Gresicki - live sound engineers
• Olaf Reitmeier - editing
• Simon Oberender - editing, mixing, mastering

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Dutch Album Charts[9]	23
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[10]	82
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallony)[11]	58
Switzerland Album Charts[12]	81
France Album Charts[13]	23
German Album Charts[14]	87

References

1. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Epica The Classical Conspiracy review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-classical-conspiracy-r1556510/review. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
2. ^ Bowar, Chad. "Epica – 'The Classical Conspiracy' review". About.com. http://heavymetal.about.com/od/e/fr/epica-classicalconspiracy.htm. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
3. ^ Maki, Jeff. "Epica 'The Classical Conspiracy' review". Live-Metal.net. http://www.live-metal.net/cdreviews_epica_theclassicalconspiracy.html. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
4. ^ Smit, Bas. "Epica - The Classical Conspiracy review". Lords Of metal.nl. http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=13875&lang=en. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
5. ^ Gromen, Mark. "Epica The Classical Conspiracy: Live In Miskolc Hungary review". Metal Asylum.net. http://www.metalasylum.net/reviews/2009/mr0938.php. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
6. ^ Moorhouse, Giles (June 2009). "Epica – The Classical Conspiracy." Rock Sound (123): 83. ISSN 1465-0185.
7. ^ "Epica To Release 'The Classical Conspiracy' Double Live Album". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 2009-03-12. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=116011. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 
8. ^ "Epica Guitarist Ad Sluijter Quits". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 16 December 2008. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=110949. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
9. ^ "Epica - Epica - The Classical Conspiracy - Live in Miskolc, Hungary (album)" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts.nl. Media Control Charts. http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Epica&titel=The+Classical+Conspiracy+%2D+Live+In+Miskolc%2C+Hungary&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
10. ^ "Epica - The Classical Conspiracy - Live in Miskolc, Hungary (album)" (in Dutch). Ultratop.be. Media Control Charts. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Epica&titel=The+Classical+Conspiracy+%2D+Live+In+Miskolc%2C+Hungary&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
11. ^ "Epica - The Classical Conspiracy - Live in Miskolc, Hungary (album)" (in French). Ultratop.be. Media Control Charts. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Epica&titel=The+Classical+Conspiracy+%2D+Live+In+Miskolc%2C+Hungary&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
12. ^ "Epica - The Classical Conspiracy - Live in Miskolc, Hungary" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Media Control Charts. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Epica&titel=The+Classical+Conspiracy+%2D+Live+In+Miskolc%2C+Hungary&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
13. ^ "Epica - The Classical Conspiracy - Live in Miskolc, Hungary (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Media Control Charts. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Epica&titel=The+Classical+Conspiracy+%2D+Live+In+Miskolc%2C+Hungary&cat=a. Retrieved 2011-08-22. 
14. ^ "Epica - The Classical Conspiracy - Live in Miskolc, Hungary" (in German). Charts.de. Media Control Charts. http://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Epica&title=The+Classical+Conspiracy+%2D+Live+In+Miskolc%2C+Hungary&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved 2011-08-22.