Latest Thread Images

falla.jpg
Island_of_the_Dead.jpg
51VkCbt9RwL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
See full thread gallery...
Heavy Classical Music
Mar 24, 2006 at 7:33 PM Post #16 of 94
Quote:

Originally Posted by BodiesOfLight
I'm not too familiar with classical---I like Debussy, Mozart, etc, etc... Though I'm looking for some heavy/intense classical.

Also any dark classical music would be cool, too.



Thanks.


If you are getting into Shosty -- listen to his cello concerto and his 8th string quartet.

Also, check out the first movement of Mahler's 2nd symphony.

If you don't mind post-war music, then I suggest you try Penderecki. With titles like, "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" how can you go wrong for "dark classical music"? Also, Penerecki's St. Lukes Passion is over the top.
 
Mar 25, 2006 at 6:39 AM Post #17 of 94
Quite a lot of Britten could be described as intense. His War Requiem, written for the reopening of Coventry Cathedral is a fantastic piece. It combines the latin text of Requiem mass for the Dead with some of Wilfred Owen's war poetry. It's a huge piece requiring both a orchestra and chamber orchestra, organ, choirs, vocal soloists. The final movement is truly beautiful, especially coming after the violent grandeur of some of the early sections.

The Hickox version on Chandos won a Gramophone engineering award in the early 90s and is a good recording to 'test' any equipment.

Quite a lot of Berg's music could be described as intense. 'Lulu' is probably the darkest piece of music I own, however it's an opera so that probably rules it out.
 
Mar 25, 2006 at 6:48 AM Post #18 of 94
I don't consider Beethoven dark or intense. I'd call in Mulher for the heavy/intense stuff. but the heaviest i've heard is Brahmn's first...but it's not that inense. Also, Barber's adagio for strings is heavy and intense.
 
Mar 25, 2006 at 7:52 AM Post #19 of 94
Try Beethoven's Seventh, especially the second movement.

Another favorite is Orff's Carmina Burana. Be sure to stick your nose into the backstory on that one- very interesting.
 
Mar 25, 2006 at 8:34 AM Post #20 of 94
If you want dark, try Shostakovich's Symphonies no. 13 and 14, and the 8th String Quartet. No. 13 "Babi Yar" is named after a place in Ukraine where nazis murdered tens of thousands of Jews. No. 14 is all about death. Being denounced as an enemy of the people on the front page of Pravda under Stalin's bloody reign did not instill joy and hope...

Liszt's Totentanz (Dance of the Dead). Based on the medieval "Dies Irae" theme of the terrors of the Day of Judgement.

Most Requiems (mass for the dead), specially Britten's War Requiem.

Bohuslav Martinu's Memorial to Lidice.

John Adam's "On the Transmigration of Souls", in memoriam 9/11.

Mahler's symphonies No. 2 "Resurrection" and 6 "Tragic", Kindertotenlieder (songs on the death of children).
 
Mar 25, 2006 at 10:36 AM Post #21 of 94
I'm not that sure if Shostakovich 8th is dark, but his 5th definetly is. I love that first movement, the mid secion of the form is just so intense. Also check out the later symphonies from Shostakovich (13,14).

Mahler 6th is dark and intense as well, and has been an inspiration for Shostakovich.

Stravinsky - Rite of the spring, if you haven't still heard it. It was so intense "ballet" that it almost caused a catastrophe in its premiere.

Still, I haven't heard any classical music that could compete with the darkness and intensiness of Elend. If you haven't heard "Silent Slumber" from Elend, try it out. That song was mentioned several times in the "saddest/darkest song ever written" thread. It's not too contemporary, but insanely dark. Just love those strings and haunting female vocals.
 
Mar 25, 2006 at 7:26 PM Post #22 of 94
If you want DARK, look no further than Gavin Bryars "The Sinking of the Titanic". And even darker, Valentin Silvestrov's 5th Symphony. Both very contemporary and unforgettable.
For music between the world wars that is dark, Franz Schmidt's 4th Symphony is a life changing work, and the 2nd movement is perhaps the most powerful funeral march ever penned. The Symphony in C# minor of Ernst Bloch is a deeply moving, powerful work, too.
And if you really want to wallow in dark, try the symphonies of Arnold Bax -- if you like the music of modern horror movies, you'll love Bax.
 
Mar 26, 2006 at 11:31 PM Post #24 of 94
i second the Mahler, Shostakovich & Bruckner.
Also, try out Arnold. I think the ones I have are his symphonies # 6 & 9 and they're pretty tough - bleak, depressing and a bit grotesque.
Verdi's requiem is not strictly orchestral, but is rather intense.
Also, Mahler's 8th deserves mention - how much heavier can you get than a 1000 pc orchestra with organ.
 
Mar 27, 2006 at 2:08 AM Post #25 of 94
I'm gonna second parts of Holst's Planets, particularly the Mars Bringer of War stretch, but the whole thing is certainly not hard.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 7:46 AM Post #28 of 94
ah, here it goes again:
mussorgsky: night on bald mountain - a pagan companion to stravinsky's rites of spring.
 
Jul 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM Post #29 of 94
Mahler, the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th ......................these I believe are what you're looking for..

Rite of Spring and the Shostakovich and Ives Symphony cycles are also fine additions.........but if i am really to understand what you are asking in your OP it's got to be Mahler. He is the heaviest (the weightiest) classical composer of all time and pondered the deepest questions and the scariest questions and the most unanswerable questions.

So yeah, Mahler :) and I have to say the 9th is the weightiest and heaviest of all..... though not the easiest to listen to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top