Comments on: ROCK ME AMADEUS

Question: ROCK ME AMADEUS

god particle — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:37:43 -0800

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.

By: Comrade_robot

Comrade_robot — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:43:24 -0800

Some people use cannon when playing the 1812 Overture?

By: elmono

elmono — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:44:30 -0800

Russian Easter Festival Overture (Modest Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement)
The Rites Of Spring (Igor Stravinsky)
Finlandia Overture (Jean Sibelius)

By: oddman

oddman — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:44:51 -0800

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.)

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:48:10 -0800

Mars, from Holst's The Planets is rather powerful

By: cimbrog

cimbrog — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:50:08 -0800

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.

By: plinth

plinth — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:50:22 -0800

Dvorak's Salvonic Dances, especially #1, #8, and #15

By: elmono

elmono — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:51:18 -0800

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)

By: bryanjbusch

bryanjbusch — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:58:10 -0800

"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.

By: dilettante

dilettante — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:59:30 -0800

Possibly some parts of Tchaikovsky's Marche Slav, although not the beginning.

By: notquitemaryann

notquitemaryann — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:59:53 -0800

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.

By: schyler523

schyler523 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:02:20 -0800

Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique

By: pazazygeek

pazazygeek — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:03:33 -0800

Mahler's 8th is hardcore.

By: pazazygeek

pazazygeek — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:04:44 -0800

Oh, also seconding the 4th movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony.

By: cadge

cadge — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:06:02 -0800

Classical Thunder sounds like the compilation for you!

By: impluvium

impluvium — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:06:38 -0800

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

By: KirkJobSluder

KirkJobSluder — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:16:30 -0800

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.

By: Chocolate Pickle

Chocolate Pickle — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:22:16 -0800

The final movement of the Saint-Saens "Organ Symphony" is like that. (One of my favorite symphonies of all time, by the way.)

By: Olden_Bittermann

Olden_Bittermann — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:29:30 -0800

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.

By: fearthehat

fearthehat — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:32:11 -0800

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

Also, much of Mahler's music would work.

By: Dali Atomicus

Dali Atomicus — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:37:01 -0800

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)

By: cosmac

cosmac — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:39:35 -0800

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.

By: dylanjames

dylanjames — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:48:22 -0800

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.

By: bubukaba

bubukaba — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:51:48 -0800

Henry Purcell's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary is totally epic and sounds great at high volumes.

By: fantastico

fantastico — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:53:41 -0800

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.

By: elmono

elmono — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:53:43 -0800

I really like Kronos Quartet version of Television's Marquee Moon. You can find it here.

By: hortense

hortense — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:53:46 -0800

Shostakovich's 13th Symphony includes large tam,gong and bell strikes, not to miss, the male choir, also, Prokofiev's Battle on the Ice,

By: range

range — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:04:11 -0800

Another compilation along these lines is the well-titled Classical Music for Home Improvement.

By: the duck by the oboe

the duck by the oboe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:36:32 -0800

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.

By: needled

needled — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:03:19 -0800

Michael Torke's "Bright Blue Music" (can listen to sample here)

By: Jaltcoh

Jaltcoh — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:16:33 -0800

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.

By: zippy

zippy — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:48:49 -0800

The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy as interpreted by Beavis and Butthead.

By: thebazilist

thebazilist — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:49:56 -0800

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.

By: ricochet biscuit

ricochet biscuit — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:00:47 -0800

Unless I have missed it above, nobody has submitted Mozart's Symphony #25 in G minor.

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:11:26 -0800

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.

By: Rich Smorgasbord

Rich Smorgasbord — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:19:11 -0800

Polovtsian Dances, by Borodin. Find a version that includes the chorus.

By: Rich Smorgasbord

Rich Smorgasbord — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:22:22 -0800

Oh and how can I forget, war-horse of war-horses, Pines of the Appian Way by Respighi.

By: gonzo_ID

gonzo_ID — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:47:42 -0800

Lux Aeterna music from requiem for a dream... point your ears this way, wait for it to build, and TURN IT UP.

By: apostrophe

apostrophe — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:48:12 -0800

beethoven's appassionata sonata: it's like heavy metal, unplugged, on a piano.

By: ObscureReferenceMan

ObscureReferenceMan — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:09:12 -0800

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.

By: Johnny Assay

Johnny Assay — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:18:59 -0800

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.

By: Drexen

Drexen — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:49:08 -0800

Summer from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

By: singingfish

singingfish — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:05:45 -0800

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.

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:54:10 -0800

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...

By: invitapriore

invitapriore — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:06:08 -0800

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.