ROCK ME AMADEUS

January 2, 2009 1:37 PM

What are some of the loudest, heaviest, most rocking and head-banging classical pieces out there?

I'm looking for some heavy classical music that's powerful and driving and has a lot of hits and explosions of sound. Something like the first part of Beethoven's 5th or Verdi's Requiem (Dies irae). Carl Orff's O Fortuna kind of fits, but isn't quite as fast or driving as I'd like, though it is pretty epic in it's own right, so I'll also take suggestions like that. I'm down with opera too, though I would prefer straight instrumental pieces.

posted by god particle to media & arts (44 comments total)

Some people use cannon when playing the 1812 Overture?
posted by Comrade_robot at 1:43 PM on January 2

Russian Easter Festival Overture (Modest Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement)
The Rites Of Spring (Igor Stravinsky)
Finlandia Overture (Jean Sibelius)
posted by elmono at 1:44 PM on January 2

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture has canons in it. (And is exactly what I think of when I think of powerful music, but then I'm a philistine about classical music.)
posted by oddman at 1:44 PM on January 2

Mars, from Holst's The Planets is rather powerful
posted by Solon and Thanks at 1:48 PM on January 2

Off the top of my head obvious picks:

"Mars, Bringer of War" from Holst's the Planets - the ultimate in the category.
"March" from Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis.
The "Dies Irae" from Verdi's Requiem - has words, but very angry.
4th movement from Dvorak's New World Symphony.
"Ride of the Valkyries" from Wager's Ring cycle - you can get it without words, too.
Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" has several parts that are good for this, as is his Night on Bald Mountain.

Beyond that, I highly recommend angry Russian/Slavic composers like Stravinsky and Prokofiev.
posted by cimbrog at 1:50 PM on January 2

Dvorak's Salvonic Dances, especially #1, #8, and #15
posted by plinth at 1:50 PM on January 2

Sorry, my comment should read :

Night on Bald Mountain (Modest Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement)
Russian Easter Festival Overture (Rimsky-Korsakov)
The Rites Of Spring (Igor Stravinsky)
Finlandia Overture (Jean Sibelius)
posted by elmono at 1:51 PM on January 2

"Hall of the Mountain King", especially as performed by Apocalyptica.

Part 4 from Symphonie Fantastique.

If you just need something that sounds Classical, there are parts of the track "The Red Violin" from the movie soundtrack of the same name that kick you in the chest.
posted by bryanjbusch at 1:58 PM on January 2

Possibly some parts of Tchaikovsky's Marche Slav, although not the beginning.
posted by dilettante at 1:59 PM on January 2

The 4th Movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz has this quality for me. Will try to think of others not mentioned.

On preview: too slow.
posted by notquitemaryann at 1:59 PM on January 2

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique
posted by schyler523 at 2:02 PM on January 2

Mahler's 8th is hardcore.
posted by pazazygeek at 2:03 PM on January 2

Oh, also seconding the 4th movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony.
posted by pazazygeek at 2:04 PM on January 2

Classical Thunder sounds like the compilation for you!
posted by cadge at 2:06 PM on January 2

I'd suggest:
- the Dies Irae from Mozart's Requiem, as well as Verdi's
- the Dies Irae from Britten's War Requiem
- Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams
- some parts of the second movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony
posted by impluvium at 2:06 PM on January 2

Some from off the beaten path:
Dvorak's 9th "From the New World." First and Fourth movements.
Sibelius's 3rd and Finlandia have some moments.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 2:16 PM on January 2

The final movement of the Saint-Saens "Organ Symphony" is like that. (One of my favorite symphonies of all time, by the way.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:22 PM on January 2

Some old chestnuts; some fairly fresh chestnuts:

"Anvil Chorus" from Il Trovatore by Verdi.
Don Giovanni, getting dragged off to hell in the last act -- Mozart.
The opening few minutes of Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov.
Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, especially the final movement.
Bach's "Toccata and Fugue", especially in one of the gargantuan, over-orchestrated arrangements by guys like Ormandy, Stokowski or Respighi.
Saint-Saens "Organ Symphony", final movement.
"Les Chasseresses" from the ballet, Sylvia, by Delibes.
posted by Olden_Bittermann at 2:29 PM on January 2

I'd recommend Bruckner's Fifth Symphony, especially the first movement.

Also, much of Mahler's music would work.
posted by fearthehat at 2:32 PM on January 2

Try:

In The Hall Of The Mountain King by Grieg (begins quietly but gets increasingly frantic)

and possibly

Fanfare For The Common Man by Aaron Copland (this is not particularly fast so maybe not what you're after, but loud and powerful and mighty fine)
posted by Dali Atomicus at 2:37 PM on January 2

I see your Classical Thunder and raise you Heavy Classix! The cover has got to be seen to be believed.

Also, Carmina Burana is one of my "heavy" favorites.
posted by cosmac at 2:39 PM on January 2 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'll second Carmina Burana, and add that even though snippets of it are very familiar through their use in TV and Movies, the entire piece is full of wonderful moments, and holds together beautifully.
posted by dylanjames at 2:48 PM on January 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary is totally epic and sounds great at high volumes.
posted by bubukaba at 2:51 PM on January 2

Bach's Prelude in C Minor (aka the "Organ Blaster") might not be as rockin' as you're looking for, but it'll blow out your speakers without too much trouble.
posted by fantastico at 2:53 PM on January 2

I really like Kronos Quartet version of Television's Marquee Moon. You can find it here.
posted by elmono at 2:53 PM on January 2

Shostakovich's 13th Symphony includes large tam,gong and bell strikes, not to miss, the male choir, also, Prokofiev's Battle on the Ice,
posted by hortense at 2:53 PM on January 2

Another compilation along these lines is the well-titled Classical Music for Home Improvement.
posted by range at 3:04 PM on January 2

The first two movements of Shostakovich's 13th fit the bill nicely. The third movement of his 8th symphony starts big and ends huge. The 11th is an almost cinematic depiction of a revolutionary battle. They're all rousing and boisterous and noisy.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 3:36 PM on January 2

Michael Torke's "Bright Blue Music" (can listen to sample here)
posted by needled at 4:03 PM on January 2

There's plenty more Beethoven than people have already mentioned, such as the "Thunderstorm" movement of the 6th Symphony ("Pastoral Symphony") -- start around 5:30 here.

Antheil's Ballet Mechanique -- sample.

Relevant self-link: I did a blog post about scary classical music -- I recommend the YouTube clips and comments there, particularly Bruckner's 9th Symphony and Shostakovich's 8th String Quartet.
posted by Jaltcoh at 4:16 PM on January 2

The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy as interpreted by Beavis and Butthead.
posted by zippy at 4:48 PM on January 2

The Thunder and Lightning Polka (Unter Donner und Blitz) by Johann Strauss II. I shouldn't call it epic, but it's driving and fast with lots of explosions and hits.
posted by thebazilist at 4:49 PM on January 2

Unless I have missed it above, nobody has submitted Mozart's Symphony #25 in G minor.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:00 PM on January 2

The second movement (Vivace) of Beethoven's 16th string quartet, Op. 135, fits your description nicely. The opening is a sweet, lilting off-beat melody that is halted after every statement by what sounds like the abrupt stalling of a car engine. In the middle of the piece, the first violin has to shout over a loud, repeated sol-la-ti-do figure that is played in unison by all the other instruments for a good few measures. Hints of Steve Reich almost 125 years before he started writing...

Also, Beethoven's Grosse Fuge (Op. 133, originally conceived as the Finale to the 13th string quartet Op. 130) is rocking (most of it, anyway...it's not without moments of tenderness and beauty), though not in a head-banging, rhythmic sense. It's just openly, defiantly, brutally dissonant and loud in a way that screams "take that, Mom and Dad!" (or in his case, "take that, critics, listeners and performers of aristocratic Vienna!") It's hard to imagine Beethoven being able to stand up to the freely dissonant music of the 20th century, but this piece manages to be distinctly off-putting in a way that only the most hardcore of the high modernists achieved -- of course, such a distinction makes it absolutely my favorite piece in his entire catalog.
posted by invitapriore at 5:11 PM on January 2

Polovtsian Dances, by Borodin. Find a version that includes the chorus.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 5:19 PM on January 2

Oh and how can I forget, war-horse of war-horses, Pines of the Appian Way by Respighi.
posted by Rich Smorgasbord at 5:22 PM on January 2

Lux Aeterna music from requiem for a dream... point your ears this way, wait for it to build, and TURN IT UP.
posted by gonzo_ID at 5:47 PM on January 2

beethoven's appassionata sonata: it's like heavy metal, unplugged, on a piano.
posted by apostrophe at 6:48 PM on January 2

I think Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2 fits the bill. The orchestral version rocks a little harder, though, but I couldn't find it. And as a bonus, Victor Borge doing his thing.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 8:09 PM on January 2

Revueltas — Sensemayá
Bruckner — Symphony No. 8, Finale (though the bombast comes and goes)
Liszt — Totentanz
Prokofiev — Suite from "Love for Three Oranges (this clip is only the March—the third movement—but the second and sixth are even more loud & awesome)
Prokofiev — Symphony No. 5, Second Movement
Prokofiev — Romeo & Juliet, Suite No. 1, "Tybalt's Death"
Prokofiev — Scythian Suite, "Dance of the Black Spirits"
Stravinsky — "Firebird" Suite, especially the Infernal Dance and the finale.

And seconding most of the Shostakovich recommendations above, along with the finale of Symphony No. 5.
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:18 PM on January 2

Summer from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
posted by Drexen at 9:49 PM on January 2

Slightly off your immediate trail, but the Stravinski's Firebird Suite, and it's sibling, the Rite of Spring have had some pretty heavy influence on Techno music some centrury later.
posted by singingfish at 11:05 PM on January 2

Goodness, I have no idea if you're still reading this, but a perfect example is Thomas Ades' Asyla. It's contemporary, but Ades inherits a lot more from Mahler than he does from anyone of the 20th century stripe. The third movement, Ecstasio, is an orchestral description of the composer's night on the town, spent in various clubs on a certain drug...
posted by invitapriore at 1:54 PM on January 4

Also Stravinsky's Les Noces. It's the last ballet he did for the company that debuted Rite of Spring and is just as forceful.
posted by invitapriore at 2:06 PM on January 4