Dark pieces suggestions...

[violinist4ever]

Hey everyone! I have a question... Can you give me suggestions for dark pieces?? Along the lines of Rachmaninoff's prelude in C# minor.... but can be anything "dark" or eerie. thanks!

[Shapley]

Are you looking for solo pieces, or just 'eerie' compositions?

Saint-Saens Dance Macabre should qualify, as should a number of pieces by Liszt - Mephisto Waltz, Totentanz, etc.

There are a number of choral works that could qualify - try something from Verdi's Requiem Mass

For solo violin, there are some pieces from Williams soundtrack to Schindler's List that might fit the bill.

Of course, for pure eerieness, it's hard to beat Berlioz March to the Gallows from the Symphony Fantastique!

That would at least be good place to start.

[Catmando]

Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 2 "Marche funebre", 3rd movement.

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 8, and some of his String Quartets.

Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta.

[Catmando]

Ligeti - Musica Recercata II - Mesto, Rigido E Cerimoniale

Very eerie!

[Catmando]

Wendy Carlos' music for The Shining

[Catmando]

Jerry Goldsmith's music for The Omen soundtrack, particularly the main theme.

[Catmando]

Anything by Danny Elfman or George Gershwin

[hal 9000]

Shapley mentioned Berlioz' "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie fantastique above. The movement after that is the one that is truly the darkest to me however, the 5th movement "Dream of a Witches Sabbath"

Other dark compositions?

Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, J.S. Bach
Night on Bald Mountain, Modeste Mussorgsky
Die Erlkonig, Franz Schubert

[jamiebk]

Here is a whole bunch (at least according to Amazon)

http://www.amazon.com/Classical-music-f ... 4COYY38MXM

[analog]

Anything dark, eh?

"Paint it Black"
London Symphony's rendition starts with violin solo, one minute sample at :
track 2 on CD .... Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones"; http://www.amazon.com/Symphonic-Music-R ... B000003FOM

a.

[bignaf]

most of George Crumb.
examples:
Black Angels for string quartet
songs, drones and refrains of death
parts of the Macrokosmos

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

For sheer unmitigated horror, there is nothing so awful as a choir of student flute players. Even if my kid is one of the choir.

Trust me on this. Ten student flautists, playing the same note, can have eleven or twelve pitches, all very close and none of them matching. Don't ask me how they do it. It's hideous. And you have to smile and applaud.

[Trumpetmaster]

Dies Irae from the Verdi Requiem!

[bignaf]

I'd think ten student violinists would be worse... or horn players...

[dai bread]

Gorecki's 3rd symphony.

Sibelius' Valse Triste.

[violinist4ever]

those sound like excellent suggestions! I will look at them later today. Do you know of any pieces that are eerie/dark and atmospheric? I don't really want a melody or anything. I was looking at the Stir of Echoes soundtrack...Do you any of you have that??.... I listened to parts o it on Amazon, so I couldn't hear the entire track. Do you know if some of those are completely instrumental???? Thanks!

[Shapley]

Nicole Marie often plays selections from a CD called Music for a darkened theater. It contains pieces by Danny Elfman.

I did a quick search for it on B & N, and didn't find the original, but did find this:

[Catmando]

For dark pieces, chicken drumsticks are my favorite.

[Trumpetmaster]

How about the theme music from the movie Batman!!!

That's pretty dark and evil sounding

[treebeau]

"The Hebrides" Overture by Felix Mendelssohn !!