History Main / ConductingTheCarnage

* A sketch on a Creator/MontyPython album begins with the idea of a virtuoso soloist acting like [[Music/TheWho Pete Townsend]] and [[RockersSmashGuitars deliberately destroying his instrument during a performance]] (Tchaicowsky's ''Contessana Paduana''). As this is a borrowed Stradivarius, the destruction causes dissent, and a fight breaks out amongst the orchestra, which escalates into the deployment of trained leopards, tanks and airstrikes. Throughout all this, the conductor -- as well as a typically restrained [[Creator/{{BBC}} Radio Three]] announcer -- are trying to behave as if nothing extraordinary is happening.

* In ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemistBrotherhood'', Crimson Alchemist Major Solff J. Kimblee joyfully declares explosions in the Ishval Extermination to be akin to a glorious symphony.
* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', we have [[TheChessmaster Chrollo]] [[DeathSeeker Lucifer]] as an example. As the rest of his murderous gang goes on vengeful rampage outside, he mimics a conductor, describing the event as [[DueToTheDead requiem]] to their late member, [[EmotionalBruiser Uvogin]], whom they didn't expect to perish at the hands of [[TheSmartGuy Kurapika]]. It helps that the background music playing as he conducts his requiem is Mozart's "Requiem" piece.
* In ''Anime/KillLaKill'', Nonon Jakuzure conducts the Tritsch Tratsch Polka by Johann Straus II with a group of subordinates while her underlings battle Ryuko and Tsumugu Kinagase at her behest. She gleefully coordinates the music in accordance to the destruction that occurs from the battle.
* In ''{{Manga/Trigun}}'', Midvalley the Hornfreak joyfully plays his saxophone to conduct his band as ambiance to the biker gang being forced to shoot each other to death while being controlled by [[KnightOfCerebus Legato Bluesummers]].
* In ''Anime/SpeedGrapher'', Seiji Ochiai, as a lover of classical music, pulls this when he reveals himself as one of the Roppongi Group's Euphorics to the resurgent White Eagle group while killing them all with his [[MakeMeWannaShout soundwaves]].

* In ''Manga/FireForce'', Inka Kasugatani comes into contact with the First Pillar and unlocks a new level of her CombatClairvoyance that lets her predict explosions. She predicts her entire neighborhood and its people bursting into explosive flames and gleefully predicts each explosion and conducts each one as music to her as they occur. She even goes so far as to ask one of her henchman for stick to conduct the show.
* In the anime series ''Manga/ProjectARMS Second'', Keith Green conducts the slaughter of Ryo, his friends, and their new child allies with a series of helicopter fire and missiles as he listens to music on his headphones. He aptly refers to it as his symphony, "Hell Come Destiny".

* [[BigBad Norman Stansfield]] does this in ''Film/TheProfessional''. As he personally slaughters his targets with a shotgun, he likens the moments to listening and playing Beethoven's classical pieces and waves his hands accordingly.
* In ''Film/IronMan1'', Tony Stark raises his arms as if signaling the crescendo of a musical piece as he presents new armaments to the US military delegation. Specifically, he spreads out his arms to signal the activation of the artillery while huge explosions go off in the distance behind him.

* In ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', Creator/StanLee in his [[CreatorCameo cameo]] conducts the music he is listening to on noise-canceling headphones while Spider-Man and the Lizard duke it out all around him in Spider-Man's school library. He is oblivious to the fight and walks out cheerfully unscathed.
* In ''Film/FantasticBeastsTheCrimesOfGrindelwald'', Grindelwald playfully conducts his wand as he spreads and controls blue flames to incinerate many Aurors sent to arrest him with his Protego Diabolica Spell. WordOfGod mentions that was actually a throw-in courtesy of Creator/JohnnyDepp to showcase Grindelwald's masterful control over the strongest of magic.

* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':
** In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', "Think Fast", the Thinker mows down the A.R.G.U.S. agents while starting to play the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's ''Messiah'' ([[DiegeticSwitch in-universe]]), even outright stating that he is "conducting" it, [[AGodAmI before finishing the carnage with saying]] "[[AsTheGoodBookSays And God said, 'Let there be light'.]]"
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow''. In the episode of that name, [[EvilIsHammy Damien Darhk]] uses his telekinetic powers to [[MoodDissonance casually massacre]] Time Agents in sync to "[[NewJackSwing Return of the Mack]]", making it look like he's doing this trope.
** In ''Series/Supergirl2015'', Lex Luthor does this to the background tune of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525: I. Allegro as he leaves the mansion he was placed under house arrest in, killing a handful of federal agents with the mansion's security systems and another group of agents with landmines hidden in the ground as he playfully conducts the explosions.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Happens twice during the Tenth Doctor's run:
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E5RiseOfTheCybermen "Rise of the Cybermen"]], [[TheDragon Mr. Crane]] has "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" played loudly throughout his facility as mind-controlled humans march helplessly into booths where they are gruesomely converted into Cybermen. Unlike most examples, he seems to be doing it in order to cover up the noise of their screams.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E12TheSoundOfDrums "The Sound of Drums"]], [[TheMaster Mr. Saxon]] plays "Voodoo Child" as a background to the Toclafane slaughtering one-tenth of humanity, singing along with it as he does.
** Lampshaded in the Classic Who episode "The Green Death" when [[AIIsACrapshoot BOSS]] is about to TakeOverTheWorld and muses to TheDragon that he should have arranged for an orchestra to play the appropriate Wagnerian music.

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': In "The Reichenbach Fall", Moriarty's ridiculous heist plan for grabbing the Crown Jewels is all set to a piece of classical music Moriarty seems to be listening to on his iPod. He swans from one end of the room to the other as though in a ballet before finally smashing through the security glass to the triumphant finish of ''La Gazza Ladra''.

* A sketch on a '[[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus Monty Python]] album begins with the idea of a virtuoso soloist acting like [[Music/TheWho Pete Townsend]] and deliberately destroying his instrument during a performance.[[note]] Tchaicowsky's ''Contessana Paduana''[[/note]] As this is a borrowed Stradivarius the destruction causes dissent, and a fight breaks out amongst the orchestra, which escalates into the deployment of trained leopards, tanks and airstrikes. Throughout all this the conductor, as well as a typically restrained [[Creator/{{BBC}} Radio Three]] announcer, are trying to behave as if nothing extraordinary is happening.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': While traveling with Master Payne's circus, Agatha makes an old silverodeon[[note]]a sort of organ-calliope hybrid[[/note]] into the control unit for the newly-weaponized caravan wagons. When Baron Wulfenbach's troops attack, Agatha can be [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20061229 seen]] conducting the battle by playing the silverodeon with true MadScientist flair.

* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode " Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind", the Evil Rick waves his hands and refers to the administration of unimaginable agony to his matrix of Mortys from alternative dimensions to cloak his headquarters as "conducting his symphony".
* In ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'', the villainous ghost Floatzart conducts as an orchestra of instruments plays to summon hordes of ghosts to terrorize the city of London.