Favourite dramatic piece of music

[Bebbo]

A while back there was a TV documentary called Planet Earth which opened up with great music. Some time later I found out that it's an instrumental version of the piece Hoppípolla from Sigur Ros's album Takk. After buying the album that piece easily became my favourite dramatic music.

What dramatic music appeals to you?

[SiF]

Its always up to what you call "dramatic".
If i hear the term dramatic music, i always
think of William Basinski's disintegration loops.
Especially dls 2.2 and dls 6.

And basically this is all i need for life, except
a few other Cds and Books.

But disintegration loops 6 is what i call dramatic.

[jim brenholts]

anything by laszlo hortobagyi!!!!!!! and most of mick harris' stuff, too.
and the 9 beet stretch - an awesome piece of music manipulation and engineering.

[jkn]

A while back there was a TV documentary called Planet Earth which opened up with great music. Some time later I found out that it's an instrumental version of the piece Hoppípolla from Sigur Ros's album Takk. After buying the album that piece easily became my favourite dramatic music.

What dramatic music appeals to you?

I embedded a live version of Hoppipolla to our site a couple weeks ago when I was trolling YouTube for various videos and got hooked on a bunch of Later With Jools Holland sessions...   beautiful performance:

http://atmoworks.ning.com/video/video/show?id=2078313%3AVideo%3A5963

[Altus]

There's another BBC series called "Blue Planet" that uses the same composer at "Planet Earth", and while they sound similar, it has an even better theme.  Very emotional/dramatic music for something so short.

My favourite piece of music that gives me shivers every time?  Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis".
It's curious though.  I've listened to a lot of Thomas Tallis and none of it sounds like this piece, so I don't know what the deal is with that.

[Undershadow]

My favourite piece of music that gives me shivers every time?  Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis".
It's curious though.  I've listened to a lot of Thomas Tallis and none of it sounds like this piece, so I don't know what the deal is with that.

That's because the piece is not in fact by Thomas Tallis, a 16th c. church composer, but by Ralph Vaughan Williams, an early 20th c. secular feller (http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/v-w/tallisfantasia.php).



Vaughan Williams used a Tallis theme as the basis for this more modernist classical piece. I'd suggest exploring Vaughan Williams' work might yield further works in a similar vein. RVW is often referred to as pastoral in mood, and I like some parts of his longer works in this kind of symph-scape, esp. Symphs no. 5 and no. 3 (available in packages such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Vaughan-Williams-Symphony/dp/B000002S2P/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1215963113&sr=1-3)

[APK]

My favourite piece of music that gives me shivers every time?  Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis".
It's curious though.  I've listened to a lot of Thomas Tallis and none of it sounds like this piece, so I don't know what the deal is with that.

Yes, certainly one of my favourite classical pieces too. Beautiful and moving.

But for sheer dramatic (and emotive) import I'd go for Maurice Duruflé's Requiem. Its beautiful and sublime. Also classical of course.

[Altus]

That's because the piece is not in fact by Thomas Tallis, a 16th c. church composer, but by Ralph Vaughan Williams, an early 20th c. secular feller

Heh, sorry I guess you misunderstood.  I know that was written by Vaughan Williams.  My point was the piece doesn't sound at all like Tallis' style to me.  However, I haven't listened to THAT much Tallis so maybe that's why.

Vaughan Williams on the other hand... I'm a huge lover of all his works.  But his 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 9th symphonies are my favs.

But for sheer dramatic (and emotive) import I'd go for Maurice Duruflé's Requiem. Its beautiful and sublime.

Absolutely!

[Undershadow]

That's because the piece is not in fact by Thomas Tallis, a 16th c. church composer, but by Ralph Vaughan Williams, an early 20th c. secular feller

Heh, sorry I guess you misunderstood.  I know that was written by Vaughan Williams.  My point was the piece doesn't sound at all like Tallis' style to me.  However, I haven't listened to THAT much Tallis so maybe that's why.

Actually I didn't misunderstand you I just wanted to explain why you might be having the problem you describe. To clarify, my point is that if you want to find more music in the 'style' of Vaughan Willams's recontextualisation of a Thomas Tallis theme, you would find it in the works of VW, rather than those of TT, whose work merely provided a source fragment that VW completely transformed.
A contemporary analogy would perhaps be in a case where artist X remixes artist Y. If you particularly liked the remix of artist Y by artist X, you might not find that much joy trawling through Y's releases, being more likely to strike lucky with X's.

[Seren]

I really love the music to the film 'Black Robe'. I find it haunting, powerful, melancholic and uplifting. The musical movements when the troupe are travelling really generate the sense of huge wilderness.

At work so unable to provide the name of the composer.

I think the film balances the happy feel of 'Dances with Wolves' - some of the actions are very cruel and no wonder the europeans shit themselves when they met them for the first time, they looked bloody scarey.

[Bill Binkelman]

Clint Mansel's soundtrack to The Fountain with music by Kronos Quartet and Mogwai
Khachaturian's "Gayane Ballet Suite," the adagio movement (heard in 2001)
Michael Convertino's opening title track to Children of a Lesser God
Michael Kamen's opening title track to The Dead Zone (the David Cronenberg movie, not the TV show)
and finally, Tim Story's The Perfect Flaw

[SunDummy]

Clint Mansel's soundtrack to The Fountain with music by Kronos Quartet and Mogwai

Yep, that's good stuff...


I've always been moved by Popol Vuh's soundtrack to "Agguire, Wrath of God".

[jim brenholts]

Clint Mansel's soundtrack to The Fountain with music by Kronos Quartet and Mogwai

Yep, that's good stuff...

i agree - excellent score. also the soundtrack to the hitman - geoff zanelli - is very cool and quite dramatic.

[Kaarinen]

One very good (and at least somewhat popularily used) dramatic song is Arvo Pärt's 'Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten'. Not my favourite Pärt stuff though, a bit too overtly dramatic for casual listening . Well, an outstanding work anyway...

[DeepR]

Scriabin - Etude Op. 8 No. 12, played by Evgeny Kissin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfXjk7GkCF8

[mgriffin]

Lakme by Leo Delibes, from The Hunger
Theme from Midnight Express by Giorgio Morodor
Further Morodor... I truly love every aspect of the Cat People soundtrack album, especially Irena's Theme
Various aspects of Vangelis's theme for Blade Runner
I also love many pieces on the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange
(also raising a hand in favor of Clint Mansell's work in general)

[ffcal]

My vote is for Philip Glass' soundtrack to Koyaanisqatsi.  Sounded great performed live, too.

Forrest

[Hypnagogue]

Richard Einhorn's "Voices of Light" soundtrack---a score he created to a nearly lost silent film. Uses text from Hildegard von Bingen, Christine De La Rose and other medieval female visionaries. Voice of Joan by Anonymous 4.

When I was writing fantasy fiction, I would use one particular cut from this when I was writing fight scenes. Beyond that, just a gorgeous bit of neo-classical joy.