Therion, as has been noted in previous reviews, is not really a band. It’s two people, for the most part: Christopher Johnsson, who does the music and Thomas Karlsson who does the lyrics. Johnson is joined here by Kristiann and John Niemann on guitars and Peter Karlsson on drums. . . and by a rather large supporting cast of musicians and vocalists.

First, let’s address the setting. Miskolc is in Northern Hungary and is the home of a rather large musical event each summer called the Miskolc Opera Festival or International Opera Festival of Miskolc. It is primarily held in the National Theater of Miskolc, the current building dating back to 1847. There are other locations within the city but this is the site of the performance under review here. Each year a wide range of musical entities are invited to perform: in 2009 the Moscow Helikon Opera, the Szeged National theatre and the Latvian National Opera were among the guests. Musical selections are equally varied. But, one can probably assume, this was something of a first.

This performance took place in 2007. The package is comprised of a DVD of the concert, and supporting material including some preparation footage with the performers, and additional footage of a previous Classical Therion presentation in Bucharest, Rumania with an even larger orchestra and several Eastern European opera singers. The second component includes two CDs of the music from this concert, a total of 18 songs.

The music is split into two general categories. The first is called "Classical Songs" and includes both a classical Therion selection and selections from classical composers including Dvorak, Verdi, Mozart, Saint-Saens and, of course, Wagner. The second grouping is strictly Therion material, mostly drawn from less classical material but all of it nicely developed for delivery by a classical orchestra and choir. The music is all arranged by Johnsson, and that is no mean feat. Merging some of this classical music with a metal band takes some doing, and the results speak for themselves.

Part One begins with Clavicula Nox, a Therion standard. It utilizes the full complement of musical talent, the full orchestra, the choir and vocalists Lori Lewis, a Therion staple, and Judit Molnar, a featured Eastern European soprano and a true delight to the eyes. The only thing held back is the metal, this is more a classical composition and, for this title, the metal is withheld in favor of the vocal component. But, you get an idea where the music is going, this is classical music at it’s best, classical with a gothic pagan twist.

From here, the music moves directly to the classical selections. We begin with a selection from Dvorak, "Excerpt from Symphony no. 9". At this point, the metal musicians, Johnsson, the Neimann brothers and Karlsson appear on stage and plug in. This is an instrumental selection with no vocal component. Johnsson suggests that his selection of each work on this section represents an interest representative of the individual composer. He suggests that Dvorak presents a superdramatic and bombastic music, and the metal merges well with this approach. The following selection comes from Verdi, "Vedi! le fosche notturne spoglit" from Il Trovatore. Here, the chorus provides the vocal line. And they are clearly having a grand old time doing it, this choir sings with a purpose. Mozart’s "Dies Irae" from Requiem follows, and it was a rocker then, it is a rocker today. Mozart is, of course, a favorite of many contemporary musicians, and that certainly includes the gothic types. The Magic Flute has been included on numerous gothic titles, including offerings from Legion of Hetheria and Niobeth. Of course, it helps to have the vocalists who can handle it. Dies Irae, however, lets the chorus do the vocals on this 18th Century rock standard. And Mozart could rock as well as anyone from Elvis to Metallica.

The following selection is from the French composer Saint-Saens entitled Excerpt from Symphony No. 3. Saint-Saens was known as an organist and this selection starts out that way. It quickly moves to a formal orchestral selection, with the metal merged in. The following 4 selections are from the German composer Richard Wagner. Wagner is a favorite of many gothic musicians and it’s easy to see why; the music is complex, challenging and oftentimes dark. Johnsson speaks at length on the music notes about the difficulty of doing Wagner from a technical perspective. It’s like a new form of math. The selections begin with "Notung! Notung! Niedliches Schwert!" from The Ring. It is sung by two male operatic vocalists, and is pure opera. The following selection, an excerpt from the Overture from Rienzi, returns the two female vocalists to the stage as the orchestra moves to a more upbeat number. The guitars and metal drum work take a more front and center approach and the two lovely vocal leads are seen rocking to the groove as they wait their turn to perform. And perform they do, in the Second part of "Deer Tag ist da" from Rienzzi. This is difficult music to begin with, but adding a metal component is even more demanding. You don’t want to play over the orchestra, the choir or the featured vocalists, but you want the metal to blend in, and, in some cases, to lead. A difficult task but rewardingly accomplished here in a beautiful performance. This is definitely a high point of the entire DVD. The classical selection concludes with the first part of "Herbei! Herbei!" from Rienzi. Another pure rocker carried off with the orchestra, the choir and the metal.

The second part of the DVD is strictly Therion numbers. They range from the heavy metal of Blood of Kingu, with vocals sung by Therion staples Mats Leven and Lori Lewis to the more classically oriented and extremely dark Via Nocturna. There are a total of 9 selections in this second part and they include both orchestrated songs like Serius B and others with vocal components provided by both featured vocalists and the choir. For Therion fans, it’s a matter of choosing your favorites. For me that would include a rousing rendition of Schwartsalbenheim sung by Lori Lewis and the choir. Lewis sings this song on a number of Therion CDs and pretty much has it down, but this is the first time I have heard it with a professional choir singing the counterpoint. It’s hard to beat, the orchestra is rocking with the band, the choir is into it and Lewis hits the high notes with vigor. Over a hundred musicians cranking out one of the pure anthems in Gothic metal, and a crowd loving every minute of it. A haunting violin solo at the end takes the music to a perfect conclusion. The aforementioned Via Noctorna is another highlight. It begins with an organ line straight from a vampire movie. The violins then move the music forward until the guitars kick in. The lovely sopranos take the lead in a dark ode to Gothic Pagan religions, a walk on the left hand path. This one turns the blood cold as it moves from movement to movement, much like a mini opera. Therion at it’s best, and it’s darkest.

And finally, it would be criminal not to mention The Rise Of Sodom And Gomorrah, a Therion favorite and the one most of my friends select as their favorite from this Second part, if not the entire DVD. Both female leads participate again with the choir and the audience clearly appreciates the inclusion of this crowd favorite. The selection begins with a crisp string arrangement that leads to the crunching guitars. The vocals are soaring, the orchestra is clearly enjoying itself and the song is impossible to forget.

The third component of the DVD covers a documentary of sorts with the band in preparation for the performance from their arrival in Hungary to the completion of the concert followed by footage from a previous performance with another orchestra, choir and singers in Bucharest, Rumania. That comes from the Therion Goes Classic production and is equally interesting. In fact, some of the same songs are performed, but with different singers. And those singers are visually very different from the ones appearing in the main selection, very different indeed.

The Miskolc experience is an interesting exploration into both current Gothic and, what can be argued as 17th and 18th century Gothic. If you pay attention to the lyrics you clearly see the overlap. And, this merging of the classical orchestra, the large formal choir, the formal operatic vocals and the metal band suggest there are certain arguments for an overlap in the music as well. This merging has been attempted by numerous bands covered on this site, but I can think of no one who has done it as completely as Therion. And certainly not with the range of material, both classical and current. The interesting thing is that it actually appeals to both classical types and metal types. That alone should make it sufficiently interesting to give it a listen, and a look. You won’t be disappointed.