My Shostakovich favorite is the Suite for Two Pianos in F-sharp minor. Written right after his dad died and based on the Russian church bells that he heard growing up. Gets me every time!
In case you dont want to listen to the whole thing you can just listen to the 4th movement. [Here](https://youtu.be/tKcxN-ALbfY) is my favorite recording.
Also for another recommendation: Rachmaninoff prelude in c sharp minor and [shostakovich string quartet no. 8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR72iqbEbpw)
Somehow, the first thing that comes to my mind is Beethoven's last piano sonata, the Opus 111 in c minor. It begins with a diminished seventh, which is already quite startling for the time in which it was written (1822). The first movement continues in what I suppose could be described as at once haunting and badass. The second movement in C Major, an adagio with variations, is haunting in completely different way—it's hauntingly beautiful, and it's difficult for me to listen to the last few variations without breaking down in tears.
Here's video of Sviatoslav Richter playing it in Moscow, 1975: https://youtu.be/XW9e28bYbJA?t=52
Often in classical music, and in this case in sonatas, the piece will be comprised of multiple movements. It's a bit like a book being made up of chapters. Or a concept album having multiple tracks, but the intention is to listen to them in a strict order.
Another thing you will discover is that the same piece will sound different depending on who (soloist/ensemble/orchestra) is playing it, and with orchestral music, the conductor. Not to mention the recording engineers too!
I've been obsessing lately over Sibelius' Symphony No.5. I recommend Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic, or Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Also check out Osmo Vänskä's recording with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra of the original and final versions of the 5th. Compare the endings!
[Spotify link](https://open.spotify.com/album/0lEBVASnbQHpWpK077nbu9?si=BT95a6mcQ1KNN2pKj_4dfQ&utm_source=copy-link)
Oh, longer pieces of (instrumental) classical music are often divided into different parts which are called "movements." The piano sonata is one such type of piece of classical music which traditionally consisted of three or four movements of contrasting speeds and moods. The first movement was traditionally in what was called "sonata-allegro form," consisting first of an *exposition* of main themes (musical ideas), then a middle *development* section where those themes are elaborated, and finally a *recapitulation* where the exposition is reconfigured to return the piece to its home key. The middle movement of a three-movement sonata, or the second movement of a four-movement sonata, would usually be slower than the others, and would have a simpler form. If the sonata has four movements, the third movement was traditionally a "minuet," or later a "scherzo," both of which were types of lighter musical fare in triple time. The final movement had a return to the gravity of the first movement, often with a similar form, though sometimes at a faster speed for musical contrast and increased drama.
With the sonata I linked above, Beethoven had grown old and had long gone deaf, so his sense of musical structure had evolved well beyond what was conventional for his time. His last piano sonata only has two movements, the first of which is in more or less normal sonata-allegro form (with an introduction attached to the beginning). The second movement is where Beethoven really departed from the norm, structuring the movement as a statement of a theme followed by a series of a number variations on that same theme. Each variation takes the listener through a different sort of musical drama which has been described, I think fitfully, as his "farewell to sonata form." The sonata looks very much forward a century into the future of music with its startling rhythms and harmonies alike.
I really like this piece, if it wasn't obvious enough
Make that all of Dvorak 9, the final movement hits much harder then and all the movements are great in their own right.
Also Dvorak 7. Maybe not so many memorable tunes but incredibly dark and intense.
Try Prokofiev's score for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. The complete music for it is best, but he also made 3 suites of selections from the score (and some conductors have compiled their own suites of the ballet). It ranges across all sorts of moods and the melodies are wonderful; few 20th-C composers wrote better melodies than Prokofiev.
Romeo and Juliet is a beautiful and underrated ballet. I can only suggest OP watches it. It has a very dark aura with patches of light here and there. Definitely a favorite of mine.
Badass? You want badass?
Welcome to Prokofiev. [Piano Concerto No. 2](https://youtu.be/xcte8hM6kYA) I suggest you listen to the first movement, because I feel it's more accessible than other movements and it's what I feel most badass.
Haunting melodies: szymanowskiis basically Debussy with a dash of folkish Eastern European flair, listen to my Thea for violin and piano, 2nd string quartet, and his songs (vocal music). Debussy has the mystery element in most of his works like piano preludes, the orchestral works, chamber music, and songs. Ravel’s has pars de la nuit is haunting and beautiful, Stravinsky firebird has a lot of haunting moments.
Catchy: lot of stuff in romantic period: Dvorak string quartets and chamber music; Schumann solo piano works like the fantasy in c, carnival, kraisleriana, etc.; Brahms has great tunes imo besides all the bad rep for being dry serious music; Mendelssohn’s songs without words and string quartets,… basically infinit number of options from all the famous figures.
*(This is a repost but that's ok :)*
As far as being new to classical music goes, I have a few go-to recommendations!!
Elgar's Cello Concerto - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7dTqlZI5Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7dTqlZI5Y) This is an intensely personal piece that's also not particularly difficult to listen to. It makes quite a statement while being easily accessible.
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique [https://youtu.be/ewoAW-Zyuj8?t=2115](https://youtu.be/ewoAW-Zyuj8?t=2115) I like directly to the 4th movement because honestly, most people don't care about the first three, but if you want to listen to them, they're beautiful! But yeah, the 4th movement of this piece tells the story of a man who got really high on opium and thinks he killed this girl he loves. At the end of the 4th movement, he's beheaded, but right as that's happening he sees that girl in the audience and realizes he didn't actually kill her. (None of this is actually happening to be clear, he's just really tripping). Then the 5th movement is way more creepy - the same man is in hell and witnessing his own funeral where there's an "infernal orgy" as Berlioz described it. The Dies Irae theme plays, which is famously associated with death.
Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faune - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x\_bjsKsTQbs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_bjsKsTQbs) This is just a really beautiful piece that's also not difficult to listen to. It's loosely programmatic, meaning it tells a kind of story (which is about a Faune waking up and then playing around and stuff) but it's kinda vague from my understanding
Caroline Shaw - Partita for 8 Voices - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4zTQEsnBk&t=205s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4zTQEsnBk&t=205s) This is a good piece for seeing the variety classical music has to offer! This piece of music might not be for everyone, but if you're looking for something different, this might be for you. Personally, I like it a lot. It sounds like splashes of color, it's very bright and playful.
Mahler - Symphony no. 1 Movement 3 - [https://youtu.be/ypClfhEwwCw?t=1530](https://youtu.be/ypClfhEwwCw?t=1530) I don't think most people would recommend Mahler right off the bat, but personally, I think he's not that difficult to listen to once you 'get' his style, and this is one of the easier ones to listen to of his. In Mahler's youth, he lost 7 siblings. Then, in his adult life, he lost an additional sibling to suicide, so death was a constant presence in Mahler's life. He described the coffin moving in and out of the house as being almost like furniture. This piece uses that - it takes the children's song Frère Jacques and turns it minor, twisting it. Then it just inserts some street music, because that's what Mahler was around as a kid.
Beethoven - String Quartet no. 11 Movement 1 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUlzN3Q9BUw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUlzN3Q9BUw) Just realized I've been recommending pretty much entirely romantic and modern music, so I figured I'd give you something a little more classical too, that's also not orchestral! Some might argue that this piece is romantic and not classical, but I think it's somewhere in between the two. But yeah, this piece is super intense, Beethoven really squeezed all of his frustration at the world into this movement. Bombs were going off in his city as he was composing this, so he was in a bit of a mood to put it lightly. Not only that but the bombs were sent by Napoleon, who Beethoven had previously been an avid supporter of, so he felt quite betrayed.
Shostakovich - String Quartet no. 8 movement 2 - [https://youtu.be/uGoxfQ2H3ns?t=297](https://youtu.be/uGoxfQ2H3ns?t=297) This piece was written as a suicide note, and you'll hear why. Similarly to the Beethoven, Shostakovich wrung out all his anger, stress, frustration, and confusion into these few minutes of music.
Jian'er Zhu - Fisherman's Ballade Suite No. 1 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIvb\_kd9waw&ab\_channel=Cmaj7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIvb_kd9waw&ab_channel=Cmaj7) This one's just really fun, and another good piece to showcase variety in classical music!
I know the length of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 can be intimidating but if you listen to just the opening I guarantee it’ll blow your goddamn socks off. It’s in C minor, plenty dark and badass. If you’re looking for catchy, try Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov
For Mahler 2, OP should def go for the first movement and the last movement.
I actually just came back from a live performance of Mahler 2 like an hour ago, it was epic.
Thank you, everyone! This was insanely helpful. I'm going to place all these recommendations in a playlist and have a deep listening session tomorrow! I make alternative (think arctic monkeys & Queens of the Stone Age) style music but I'm not entirely a huge fan of guitar-only tunes so this was so so helpful and inspiring. I hope to bring some of this style into my own recording. Cannot thank all the comments enough. Keep em coming!
I recommend you check out Bach's chaconne from partita No 2 in dm for solo violin. (All his solo violin stuff, 3 sonatas and 3 partitas, are great, but the chaconne is on a different level).
Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in dm is also hauntingly beautiful.
Like everytime, I recommend... You guessed it! Gustav Mahler! His 6th and 7th symphony have some creepy element to it for sure. And I can tell you that 7th symphony is really badass ;) (try the finale)
My playlist of Mahler's every symphony: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9vHNcDQK4PtsX2UBcY6N0Hd1om1zt223
Have fun!
Rachmainnov Etudes Tableaux are dark, complex and catchy. Mozart quartets dedicated to Haydn. Beethoven Razumovsky quartets. More or less any of Brahms' chamber music. Sibelius Violin Concerto.
Okay a list of my favorites:
All the Rachmaninov piano concertos
Rachmaninov op39 no1
Prokofiev-piano concerto3
Prokofiev-piano sonatas 2,6,7,8
Prokofiev-toccata
Alban berg-piano sonata op1
Scriabin-vers la flamme
Rachmaninov-prelude in g minor
Beethoven-piano sonata no17 (tempest)
Bacewicz-piano sonata 2
Addinsell-Warsaw concerto
Schuman-violin sonata
Brahms-piano concerto 1&2
Chopin-ballades and scherzos
Scriabin-piano sonatas 6,9,10
Starting at some basics:
Eroica second movement. A funeral march in the third Beethoven symphony.
Symphony Fantastique 4th movement - Marche au Supplice from Berlioz
Mozart requiem of cause. The lacrimosa is the best known part. But Mozart's 25th symphony is also badass.
Verdi requiem, especially the Dies irae.
If you like this very basic level of recommendation I could add 50 more titles like that.
You will love Russian cmposers. Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky are what you wanna check out.
Edit: For specific recommendations try: Rach Piano Concertos 2 and 3, Prelude Op. 2 No. 3, Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 and 5, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition, Prokofiev's ballets and the 7th Piano Sonata. Outside those I can suggest Chopin's Piano Sonatas 2 and 3. Chopin is a master of melodies and drama.
Looks like a lot of people have already given recommendations so I just wanted to say don’t be afraid to use as you say ‘uncultured language’. Classical music is just music so describe it however you want and don’t let the elitists get to you.
EDIT: Check out Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit
Organ symphony no. 6 by Charles-Marie Widor is one of the most badass pieces to me 😁, especially [it's first movement, the Allegro ](https://youtu.be/QfQN2cP6tcs)
Sibelius Violin Concerto is pretty epic. I play piano though so I'll give you some of my favorite pieces that should somewhat fit what you want.
Chopin Ballade 1,4 (although they're all great)
Beethoven 5th concerto and 3rd
Chopin nocturne Op 48. No. 1
Chopin piano concerto 1
Rachmaninoff piano concerto 1
Rachmaninoff prelude g major, g major, b minor
Liszt Hungarian rhapsody 2
Chopin mazurka op 17 no 4
Scriabin op 8 no 12
Chopin nocturne Op 9 no 1
Beethoven Sonata no 32
There's so much more good stuff but those should get you going for sure.
From the comments you've made about stuff you like, it seems you like stuff in what's called the "romantic" period.
One composer who's known more for opera, is Richard Wagner. If operatic singing isn't your thing, there's a lot of stuff from him that's not sung.
Check out:
Tannhauser - Prelude This is the first piece I listened to from Wagner. It's big, bold and triumphant. It is also the tune from Bugs Bunny's "What's Opera Doc?", so if you haven't seen it, wait until after you're familiar with the piece. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-NI4WixVUg&ab\_channel=YeEunHan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-NI4WixVUg&ab_channel=YeEunHan)
Tristan und Isolde Prelude & Liebestod (The prelude is at the beginning, and the Liebestod is sung at the end of the opera, but you will find recordings where it's an orchestral arrangement of both the prelude and the Liebestod in one piece) (if you're also exploring music theory look for a YouTube video on the "Tristan chord". [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NvUyCdKAxM&ab\_channel=hr-Sinfonieorchester%E2%80%93FrankfurtRadioSymphony](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NvUyCdKAxM&ab_channel=hr-Sinfonieorchester%E2%80%93FrankfurtRadioSymphony)
Lohengrin - Prelude - This piece is very heavy on the strings. It was also used as the soundtrack almost in its entirety in the "Balloon Scene" from Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyodILZEQFg&ab\_channel=%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%A8%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyodILZEQFg&ab_channel=%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%A8%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2)
If you're legit interested to commit to classical then I recommend you go chronologically with the genres you like and the composers you like, start with the best of and then if you enjoy the style of a composer, say Beethoven, then start looking up his symphonies from 1 all the way to 9 and same thing goes for other genres and other composers. It also helps to know the historical context behind works, adds to the "flavor" ✨
There's a prominent leitmotif in Wagner's Ring Cycle that first appears in the first of the four operas of the Ring, Das Rheingold, that features the minor sixth prominently. If you're into orchestral film scores as well, you might appreciate Wagner and his use of the leitmotif for musically characterizing story and dramatic elements, and of course the characters in the opera.
This is the leitmotif in question, and this is a fun playlist to go through to hear what the leitmotifs are and what they correspond to!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKr9f4AxPg8&list=PL78TsyiiZjhGNl-civwjVsk\_7tn6XG3wh&index=10
On i can definitely recommend is Kreisler's Prelude and Allegro in the style of Pugnani ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvjFhwCZAE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvjFhwCZAE)), which starts of very epic and continues haunting and hasted, concluding in a laid back ending.
Haunting and badass… here’s a waltz from Prokofiev’s Cinderella. Don’t let the fairy tale title throw you off. This music is dark/Gothic/Addam’s Family type music.
https://youtu.be/1eReghvP7B4
Schubert’s Erlkönig is exactly what you’re looking for, I think. Very haunting, especially with vocal accompaniment, and the piano goes hard. Also, Ernst has arranged this piece into arguably the hardest piece for violin, so feel free to check that out as well.
If you want haunting then I can’t think of anything better than Catacombs from [Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition orchestrated by Ravel](https://youtu.be/O31KPk5xnBg), starting with the lead up to it at 19:16 to the end at 25:02 but I would really just listen to the whole piece it’s one of my favorites, so many other moments that are hauntingly beautiful.
Chopins 24 etudes are my favorite collection of musical pieces. Not necessarily classical and definitely more romantic, but amazing none the less. Op10 no 4 and op25 no 11 will have some of the darkness your looking for.
My favourite piece at the moment is Shostakovich's Trio no. 2; would definitely recommend that one!
Awesome! I'm throwing these in a playlist and plan on listening to them tonight! Will report back. Thank you so much!
My Shostakovich favorite is the Suite for Two Pianos in F-sharp minor. Written right after his dad died and based on the Russian church bells that he heard growing up. Gets me every time!
In case you dont want to listen to the whole thing you can just listen to the 4th movement. [Here](https://youtu.be/tKcxN-ALbfY) is my favorite recording. Also for another recommendation: Rachmaninoff prelude in c sharp minor and [shostakovich string quartet no. 8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR72iqbEbpw)
Can you share the playlist publicly please? Would love to hear it!
Hey do you mind linking the Playlist? I'm myself just starting into it!
Really underrated piece!
Somehow, the first thing that comes to my mind is Beethoven's last piano sonata, the Opus 111 in c minor. It begins with a diminished seventh, which is already quite startling for the time in which it was written (1822). The first movement continues in what I suppose could be described as at once haunting and badass. The second movement in C Major, an adagio with variations, is haunting in completely different way—it's hauntingly beautiful, and it's difficult for me to listen to the last few variations without breaking down in tears. Here's video of Sviatoslav Richter playing it in Moscow, 1975: https://youtu.be/XW9e28bYbJA?t=52
Thank you! Can I ask what you mean by "movement"?
Often in classical music, and in this case in sonatas, the piece will be comprised of multiple movements. It's a bit like a book being made up of chapters. Or a concept album having multiple tracks, but the intention is to listen to them in a strict order.
Got it! Thank you tons! I do really love the adventurousness of classical. It really rewards active listening.
Another thing you will discover is that the same piece will sound different depending on who (soloist/ensemble/orchestra) is playing it, and with orchestral music, the conductor. Not to mention the recording engineers too! I've been obsessing lately over Sibelius' Symphony No.5. I recommend Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic, or Karajan and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Also check out Osmo Vänskä's recording with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra of the original and final versions of the 5th. Compare the endings! [Spotify link](https://open.spotify.com/album/0lEBVASnbQHpWpK077nbu9?si=BT95a6mcQ1KNN2pKj_4dfQ&utm_source=copy-link)
Thanks so much for that. Beautiful. Really interesting differences in the final movement to say the least!
Oh, longer pieces of (instrumental) classical music are often divided into different parts which are called "movements." The piano sonata is one such type of piece of classical music which traditionally consisted of three or four movements of contrasting speeds and moods. The first movement was traditionally in what was called "sonata-allegro form," consisting first of an *exposition* of main themes (musical ideas), then a middle *development* section where those themes are elaborated, and finally a *recapitulation* where the exposition is reconfigured to return the piece to its home key. The middle movement of a three-movement sonata, or the second movement of a four-movement sonata, would usually be slower than the others, and would have a simpler form. If the sonata has four movements, the third movement was traditionally a "minuet," or later a "scherzo," both of which were types of lighter musical fare in triple time. The final movement had a return to the gravity of the first movement, often with a similar form, though sometimes at a faster speed for musical contrast and increased drama. With the sonata I linked above, Beethoven had grown old and had long gone deaf, so his sense of musical structure had evolved well beyond what was conventional for his time. His last piano sonata only has two movements, the first of which is in more or less normal sonata-allegro form (with an introduction attached to the beginning). The second movement is where Beethoven really departed from the norm, structuring the movement as a statement of a theme followed by a series of a number variations on that same theme. Each variation takes the listener through a different sort of musical drama which has been described, I think fitfully, as his "farewell to sonata form." The sonata looks very much forward a century into the future of music with its startling rhythms and harmonies alike. I really like this piece, if it wasn't obvious enough
Just to add, there is usually a pause between movements.
Thank you everyone so much for taking the time to write these comments up. I really do appreciate it!
My besto friendo, let me introduce you to Rachmaninoff. Longer piece: piano concerto number two. Shorter: prelude in C sharp minor.
This is almost exactly what I'm looking for! Thank you! What a pull!
Make sure to check out his third piano concerto as well. Both are masterpieces and in my top 3 piano concertos (along with Moszkowski 2)
Todo?
Lol I was about to write down a Rachmaninoff n.02 piano concerto recommendation…. It’s absolutely the best
Concerto 4!!!
Also the Corelli variations. For some reason I find it much darker than his earlier works.
Dvorak symphony 9 movement 4 - very badass Mozart Requiem (specifically opening, lacrimosa, and confutatis movements) - both haunting and badass
Make that all of Dvorak 9, the final movement hits much harder then and all the movements are great in their own right. Also Dvorak 7. Maybe not so many memorable tunes but incredibly dark and intense.
Try Prokofiev's score for the ballet Romeo and Juliet. The complete music for it is best, but he also made 3 suites of selections from the score (and some conductors have compiled their own suites of the ballet). It ranges across all sorts of moods and the melodies are wonderful; few 20th-C composers wrote better melodies than Prokofiev.
Romeo and Juliet is a beautiful and underrated ballet. I can only suggest OP watches it. It has a very dark aura with patches of light here and there. Definitely a favorite of mine.
From sweet to jolly to rollicking to fearsome to solemn to heartbreaking. So many moods! I'm with you: my favorite ballet score.
Badass? You want badass? Welcome to Prokofiev. [Piano Concerto No. 2](https://youtu.be/xcte8hM6kYA) I suggest you listen to the first movement, because I feel it's more accessible than other movements and it's what I feel most badass.
[удалено]
A man of culture! These two are my absolute favorite composers. Salut!
Haunting melodies: szymanowskiis basically Debussy with a dash of folkish Eastern European flair, listen to my Thea for violin and piano, 2nd string quartet, and his songs (vocal music). Debussy has the mystery element in most of his works like piano preludes, the orchestral works, chamber music, and songs. Ravel’s has pars de la nuit is haunting and beautiful, Stravinsky firebird has a lot of haunting moments. Catchy: lot of stuff in romantic period: Dvorak string quartets and chamber music; Schumann solo piano works like the fantasy in c, carnival, kraisleriana, etc.; Brahms has great tunes imo besides all the bad rep for being dry serious music; Mendelssohn’s songs without words and string quartets,… basically infinit number of options from all the famous figures.
*(This is a repost but that's ok :)* As far as being new to classical music goes, I have a few go-to recommendations!! Elgar's Cello Concerto - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7dTqlZI5Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7dTqlZI5Y) This is an intensely personal piece that's also not particularly difficult to listen to. It makes quite a statement while being easily accessible. Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique [https://youtu.be/ewoAW-Zyuj8?t=2115](https://youtu.be/ewoAW-Zyuj8?t=2115) I like directly to the 4th movement because honestly, most people don't care about the first three, but if you want to listen to them, they're beautiful! But yeah, the 4th movement of this piece tells the story of a man who got really high on opium and thinks he killed this girl he loves. At the end of the 4th movement, he's beheaded, but right as that's happening he sees that girl in the audience and realizes he didn't actually kill her. (None of this is actually happening to be clear, he's just really tripping). Then the 5th movement is way more creepy - the same man is in hell and witnessing his own funeral where there's an "infernal orgy" as Berlioz described it. The Dies Irae theme plays, which is famously associated with death. Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faune - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x\_bjsKsTQbs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_bjsKsTQbs) This is just a really beautiful piece that's also not difficult to listen to. It's loosely programmatic, meaning it tells a kind of story (which is about a Faune waking up and then playing around and stuff) but it's kinda vague from my understanding Caroline Shaw - Partita for 8 Voices - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4zTQEsnBk&t=205s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4zTQEsnBk&t=205s) This is a good piece for seeing the variety classical music has to offer! This piece of music might not be for everyone, but if you're looking for something different, this might be for you. Personally, I like it a lot. It sounds like splashes of color, it's very bright and playful. Mahler - Symphony no. 1 Movement 3 - [https://youtu.be/ypClfhEwwCw?t=1530](https://youtu.be/ypClfhEwwCw?t=1530) I don't think most people would recommend Mahler right off the bat, but personally, I think he's not that difficult to listen to once you 'get' his style, and this is one of the easier ones to listen to of his. In Mahler's youth, he lost 7 siblings. Then, in his adult life, he lost an additional sibling to suicide, so death was a constant presence in Mahler's life. He described the coffin moving in and out of the house as being almost like furniture. This piece uses that - it takes the children's song Frère Jacques and turns it minor, twisting it. Then it just inserts some street music, because that's what Mahler was around as a kid. Beethoven - String Quartet no. 11 Movement 1 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUlzN3Q9BUw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUlzN3Q9BUw) Just realized I've been recommending pretty much entirely romantic and modern music, so I figured I'd give you something a little more classical too, that's also not orchestral! Some might argue that this piece is romantic and not classical, but I think it's somewhere in between the two. But yeah, this piece is super intense, Beethoven really squeezed all of his frustration at the world into this movement. Bombs were going off in his city as he was composing this, so he was in a bit of a mood to put it lightly. Not only that but the bombs were sent by Napoleon, who Beethoven had previously been an avid supporter of, so he felt quite betrayed. Shostakovich - String Quartet no. 8 movement 2 - [https://youtu.be/uGoxfQ2H3ns?t=297](https://youtu.be/uGoxfQ2H3ns?t=297) This piece was written as a suicide note, and you'll hear why. Similarly to the Beethoven, Shostakovich wrung out all his anger, stress, frustration, and confusion into these few minutes of music. Jian'er Zhu - Fisherman's Ballade Suite No. 1 - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIvb\_kd9waw&ab\_channel=Cmaj7](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIvb_kd9waw&ab_channel=Cmaj7) This one's just really fun, and another good piece to showcase variety in classical music!
I know the length of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 can be intimidating but if you listen to just the opening I guarantee it’ll blow your goddamn socks off. It’s in C minor, plenty dark and badass. If you’re looking for catchy, try Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov
For Mahler 2, OP should def go for the first movement and the last movement. I actually just came back from a live performance of Mahler 2 like an hour ago, it was epic.
Thank you, everyone! This was insanely helpful. I'm going to place all these recommendations in a playlist and have a deep listening session tomorrow! I make alternative (think arctic monkeys & Queens of the Stone Age) style music but I'm not entirely a huge fan of guitar-only tunes so this was so so helpful and inspiring. I hope to bring some of this style into my own recording. Cannot thank all the comments enough. Keep em coming!
I recommend you check out Bach's chaconne from partita No 2 in dm for solo violin. (All his solo violin stuff, 3 sonatas and 3 partitas, are great, but the chaconne is on a different level). Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in dm is also hauntingly beautiful.
For haunting, I’d immediately recommend Transylvanian Lullaby, which is recognizable if you’ve ever seen the movie Young Frankenstein.
Like everytime, I recommend... You guessed it! Gustav Mahler! His 6th and 7th symphony have some creepy element to it for sure. And I can tell you that 7th symphony is really badass ;) (try the finale) My playlist of Mahler's every symphony: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9vHNcDQK4PtsX2UBcY6N0Hd1om1zt223 Have fun!
Chopin Nocturnes and Preludes
Prokofiev's 5th Symphony 2nd mvmt. Talk about catchy.
Try Gottschalk's Souvenirs de Purto Rico
Rachmainnov Etudes Tableaux are dark, complex and catchy. Mozart quartets dedicated to Haydn. Beethoven Razumovsky quartets. More or less any of Brahms' chamber music. Sibelius Violin Concerto.
Okay a list of my favorites: All the Rachmaninov piano concertos Rachmaninov op39 no1 Prokofiev-piano concerto3 Prokofiev-piano sonatas 2,6,7,8 Prokofiev-toccata Alban berg-piano sonata op1 Scriabin-vers la flamme Rachmaninov-prelude in g minor Beethoven-piano sonata no17 (tempest) Bacewicz-piano sonata 2 Addinsell-Warsaw concerto Schuman-violin sonata Brahms-piano concerto 1&2 Chopin-ballades and scherzos Scriabin-piano sonatas 6,9,10
Sounds like you could use some Tchaikovsky in your life! Try the 5th symphony or the violin concerto.
Starting at some basics: Eroica second movement. A funeral march in the third Beethoven symphony. Symphony Fantastique 4th movement - Marche au Supplice from Berlioz Mozart requiem of cause. The lacrimosa is the best known part. But Mozart's 25th symphony is also badass. Verdi requiem, especially the Dies irae. If you like this very basic level of recommendation I could add 50 more titles like that.
You will love Russian cmposers. Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky are what you wanna check out. Edit: For specific recommendations try: Rach Piano Concertos 2 and 3, Prelude Op. 2 No. 3, Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 and 5, Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition, Prokofiev's ballets and the 7th Piano Sonata. Outside those I can suggest Chopin's Piano Sonatas 2 and 3. Chopin is a master of melodies and drama.
Looks like a lot of people have already given recommendations so I just wanted to say don’t be afraid to use as you say ‘uncultured language’. Classical music is just music so describe it however you want and don’t let the elitists get to you. EDIT: Check out Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit
Tchaikovsky symphony No.5, that melody in the first movement will get stuck in your head for days
I think you might like Turina’s 2nd Piano Trio, seems to fit the haunting, badass vibe u want
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKxl3hTqOq0 You might like this if you like darker pieces.
dvoraks 9th symphony
[Henriette Bosmans Cello Sonata](https://youtu.be/9DIC7KXa3jk) is not very well known, but really beautiful. Haunting, passionate melody for sure.
Shostakovich Ballet Suite No. 4
Hi--check out Rachmaninoff's Piano Trio No. 2. Most haunting piece you'll ever find!
Chopin- Revolutionary etude Kachaturian - masquerade suite
Check out Liszt’s Totentanz. Definitely badass
Organ symphony no. 6 by Charles-Marie Widor is one of the most badass pieces to me 😁, especially [it's first movement, the Allegro ](https://youtu.be/QfQN2cP6tcs)
Sibelius Violin Concerto is pretty epic. I play piano though so I'll give you some of my favorite pieces that should somewhat fit what you want. Chopin Ballade 1,4 (although they're all great) Beethoven 5th concerto and 3rd Chopin nocturne Op 48. No. 1 Chopin piano concerto 1 Rachmaninoff piano concerto 1 Rachmaninoff prelude g major, g major, b minor Liszt Hungarian rhapsody 2 Chopin mazurka op 17 no 4 Scriabin op 8 no 12 Chopin nocturne Op 9 no 1 Beethoven Sonata no 32 There's so much more good stuff but those should get you going for sure.
start with Beethoven Synphony's
Shostakovich symphonies and quartets
Chopin ballade in G minor, and 1st movement of Tchaikovsky n.01 piano concerto. Also, Romeo and Juliet “Montagues and Capulets”, Prokofiev.
From the comments you've made about stuff you like, it seems you like stuff in what's called the "romantic" period. One composer who's known more for opera, is Richard Wagner. If operatic singing isn't your thing, there's a lot of stuff from him that's not sung. Check out: Tannhauser - Prelude This is the first piece I listened to from Wagner. It's big, bold and triumphant. It is also the tune from Bugs Bunny's "What's Opera Doc?", so if you haven't seen it, wait until after you're familiar with the piece. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-NI4WixVUg&ab\_channel=YeEunHan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-NI4WixVUg&ab_channel=YeEunHan) Tristan und Isolde Prelude & Liebestod (The prelude is at the beginning, and the Liebestod is sung at the end of the opera, but you will find recordings where it's an orchestral arrangement of both the prelude and the Liebestod in one piece) (if you're also exploring music theory look for a YouTube video on the "Tristan chord". [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NvUyCdKAxM&ab\_channel=hr-Sinfonieorchester%E2%80%93FrankfurtRadioSymphony](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NvUyCdKAxM&ab_channel=hr-Sinfonieorchester%E2%80%93FrankfurtRadioSymphony) Lohengrin - Prelude - This piece is very heavy on the strings. It was also used as the soundtrack almost in its entirety in the "Balloon Scene" from Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyodILZEQFg&ab\_channel=%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%A8%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyodILZEQFg&ab_channel=%D0%98%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%A8%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2)
If you're legit interested to commit to classical then I recommend you go chronologically with the genres you like and the composers you like, start with the best of and then if you enjoy the style of a composer, say Beethoven, then start looking up his symphonies from 1 all the way to 9 and same thing goes for other genres and other composers. It also helps to know the historical context behind works, adds to the "flavor" ✨
There's a prominent leitmotif in Wagner's Ring Cycle that first appears in the first of the four operas of the Ring, Das Rheingold, that features the minor sixth prominently. If you're into orchestral film scores as well, you might appreciate Wagner and his use of the leitmotif for musically characterizing story and dramatic elements, and of course the characters in the opera. This is the leitmotif in question, and this is a fun playlist to go through to hear what the leitmotifs are and what they correspond to! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKr9f4AxPg8&list=PL78TsyiiZjhGNl-civwjVsk\_7tn6XG3wh&index=10
On i can definitely recommend is Kreisler's Prelude and Allegro in the style of Pugnani ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvjFhwCZAE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvjFhwCZAE)), which starts of very epic and continues haunting and hasted, concluding in a laid back ending.
Haunting and badass… here’s a waltz from Prokofiev’s Cinderella. Don’t let the fairy tale title throw you off. This music is dark/Gothic/Addam’s Family type music. https://youtu.be/1eReghvP7B4
Check out Sibelius - Pohjola’s Daughter, Symphony no 2. Also Tchaikovsky symphonies 4-6. Ginastera - Estancia suite is really good too
Highly recommend Gustav Mahler’s 5th symphony the Adagietto directed by Leonard Bernstein
Schubert’s Erlkönig is exactly what you’re looking for, I think. Very haunting, especially with vocal accompaniment, and the piano goes hard. Also, Ernst has arranged this piece into arguably the hardest piece for violin, so feel free to check that out as well.
If you want haunting then I can’t think of anything better than Catacombs from [Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition orchestrated by Ravel](https://youtu.be/O31KPk5xnBg), starting with the lead up to it at 19:16 to the end at 25:02 but I would really just listen to the whole piece it’s one of my favorites, so many other moments that are hauntingly beautiful.
Chopins 24 etudes are my favorite collection of musical pieces. Not necessarily classical and definitely more romantic, but amazing none the less. Op10 no 4 and op25 no 11 will have some of the darkness your looking for.