Current Events > Which of these classical compositions has the most intimidating start?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Just to clarify, by "intimidating" I mean scary, formidable, awe-inspiring, etc.

"Totentanz"
https://youtu.be/7nVmFlSV1ok

"Night on Bald Mountain"
https://youtu.be/iCEDfZgDPS8

"Toccata and Fugue"
https://youtu.be/ho9rZjlsyYY

"Fifth Symphony"
https://youtu.be/_4IRMYuE1hI

Totentanz for me. Perhaps it's because the others have had so much exposure they don't hit as hard for me anymore, but I feel like the others have a sort of playfulness to them in spite of the gravitas of the music.

Totentanz just has a merciless death march that's like "the games are over, meet your destiny." Plus it was based on Dies Irae just like the Shining theme :)

it's night on a bald mountain imo but people are just going to tocatta because they recognize it

totenaz just sounds like someone slamming piano keys really hard, which doesnt really sound intimidating just loud imo

Bach Toccata and Fuge, of course.

At the very least you could argue it is the most intimidating, by the fact that it completely predates all of the other pieces listed. It's not actually even Classical, it is Baroque.

Bach lived and died before Beethoven and Mozart were born.

His blatant use of The Diabolus in Musica, in this piece, was so ahead of his time it's not funny.

I actually love that in the middle of this he actually pulls off some dance rhythms!!
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Night on Bald Mountain for me.

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Totentanz. Night on Bald Mountain gets intense, but at the very very start it's mostly building up the tension

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No Mahler?

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jumi posted...

No Mahler?

Which work?

5th Symphony is famous for its opening.

TC, you did use the word formidable....so I have to add this.

It's the opening to Bachs, St. Matthew Passion.
Which is a two plus hour long work.
You kinda know you are getting into some stuff when this opens up.

The lyrics don't back down, and there is something going on in the baseline that took me a while to realize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf2jGSvsA7c
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Obligatory The Planets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isic2Z2e2xs

Josiah_Is_Back posted...

Which work?

First symphony, third movement.

https://youtu.be/U5A5tFyXQio

Orff's O Fortuna from Carmina Burana is a contender too.

https://youtu.be/GXFSK0ogeg4


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A serenade for strings
Especially after you plat the evil within 2

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Night On Bald Mountain

I agree with Winrar that Totentanz sounds like someone banging on the keys. I feel like Toccata and Fugue has been used in some kind of parody often enough that I don't find it intimidating at all, but I can't actually name a parody. And I just don't find Fifth Symphony intimidating at all.

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I think really Beethovens 5th is the only contender there for something made with intimidating in mind the other two pieces definitely seem to have a framework of wanting to be other words.. you can tell its frantic or some other word that I guess could overlap with intimidating

Id still give it to Totenkanz because of the use of rhythm like that, it definitely is a March.. or has that strength of one because of the way the rhythm broods around

The 5th sounds too much like flight to me and Im not sure Id its the rhythm or the choice to go with violins instead of oboes that sorta fulfills that


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jumi posted...

Orff's O Fortuna from Carmina Burana is a contender too.

I think I'd pick this over anything in the poll, but if I had to choose from the poll then toccata and fugue

also it's not nearly as grandiose as the rest of the stuff in this topic but I always found the intro of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZxzz-N3oxM to be rather intense/creepy

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First one

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