>
>Now my problem is because I don't really have a clue as where to begin - I
>continually buy Orchestral CDs with ho-hum compositions. I in particular like
>the dark, somber music with angry parts, depressing parts, and beautiful
>sections. In other words - the "voices" of orchestral music.
>
>Anyone here (because I respect the opinions of those here) want to throw out
>some recommendations? Please include the conductor and orchestra recording
>you would suggest - as well as the composer and the composition name in
>particular.
>
I also like dark, powerful classical pieces but it's hard to judge
what you will like based only on Mozart's "Requiem". Here are some of my
favorites. Let me know what you end up liking. :)
Steve
Composer Title
Beethoven Symphonies (5th, 9th, etc)
-- It's hard to go wrong with any of Beethoven's symphonies, but I'd
suggest the 5th and 9th as the best starting points for powerful,
darker styles. Those are among the most amazing symphonies ever
written. You may like some of his overtures too (such as
"Prometheus"). For conductors you probably want Leonard Bernstein
or Herbert von Karajan.
Dvorak 9th "New World" Symphony -- Another of my favorites.
-- Some of his Slavonic Dances are also good, such as "Furiant".
Tchaikovsky 4th Symphony -- Yet another favorite. :)
-- Tchaikovsky also has some strong overtures such as
the "1812 overture" and "Marche Slave". His other symphonies
are also good.
Verdi Requiem -- If you like operatic stuff then you'll
probably like this. It is very dark and
powerful.
Gustav Holst The Planets -- The first section, Mars: Bringer of War
is especially dark.
Gorecki 3rd Symphony -- Very dark. It is slow but it builds an
amazing atmosphere -- extremely powerful.
Wagner Ring of the Niebulung -- Parts of this massive (16 CD) piece
are very dark and cool (such as "Ride
of the Valkyries" and "Siegfried's Death
March"). Since you probably don't want the
whole thing, try a sampler that has those
parts for a start.
Vivaldi The Four Seasons -- This one isn't as dark but it is still
quite good.
Rimsky-Korsakoff Scheherazade -- An interesting piece that was "covered"
by a progressive band called Rennaisance.
Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain -- A famous, dark but fun piece.
Bruckner 4th or 8th Symphonies -- I haven't got into Bruckner as much
as the above composers, but his music tends
to be dark and majestic.
Mahler Symphony #1.
Some of my favorite overtures and dances (usually not as dark, but powerful
with good melodies):
1812 -- Tchaikovsky
Marche Slave -- Tchaikovsky
Poet and Peasant -- Suppe
William Tell -- Rossini
The Theiving Magpie -- Rossini
The Barber of Seville -- Rossini
The Sorcerer's Apprentice -- Paul Dukas
Hugarian Rhapsody #2 -- Franz Liszt (piano mostly)
There are some really great dark classical movie soundtracks out there
that you might like:
Batman (be sure to get the classical score not the Prince songs)
Stargate
Henry V
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Apr 01 2004 - 18:09:02 EST