Scariest Classical Music

Howard Shore, the score to Se7en comes to mind. Some very cool mysterious textures.

Messiaen quartet?!?! what are you talking about?

i would say: ligeti requiem, penderecki threnody, xenakis stuffs.. but beethoven and mozart? what are you talking about?!

oh i missed: stockhausen: gesang der junglinge. thats really really scary

If you use silence wisely that can be the scariest "music" in a film. One example - in the Wrestler at the very end when he stands on the ropes and flies down upon his opponent, the camera stays still and you only hear a low roar of the crowd as the Wrestler disappears from the screen to land on his opponent. You hear the then a huge cheer from the crowd while the camera remains affixed to where the wrestler stood. The screen goes black a few seconds later and remains so with NO SOUND for what seems like a minute or two before a country like song comes on as the credits roll. I'd dispense with the country music if I were the director as those 20 seconds of silence just sucked your breath away like a sucker punch to the groin. Amazing film and one of the best film scenes I have seen in a very long time.

Messiaen quartet?!?! what are you talking about?

i would say: ligeti requiem, penderecki threnody, xenakis stuffs.. but beethoven and mozart? what are you talking about?!

oh i missed: stockhausen: gesang der junglinge. thats really really scary

I completely agree with Ligeti's Requiem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS0x3u6pH3w&feature=related

yeah, Ornstein has good things :)

I'd have to say the Emperor's theme from Star Wars Episode VI by John Williams. It's creeeeeeeeeepy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fsqa55qhUQ&feature=PlayList&p=757040597CC0B5A6&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=49

Ligeti's Atmospheres is very ambient but still frightening. It was used in 2001: a space odyssey in the one scene where dave was going through that psychedelic vortex near to the end. In the scene there's no sound just the music. And most of the scenery most of the time is pitch black. Just imagine watching that with Atmospheres playing in the dark! I did it and I got freaked out, and I'm not the type of person to get scared like that. :( Here's a link to video of it. plus check out the moving score on it, too. It's really cool. Link:

Enjoy!! -Jared

"It's a small world after all,

It's a small world after all,

It's a small world after all,

It's a small, small world..."

I would recommend Richard Wagner .. or Edward Van Halen =P

Ok, so since your looking for some seriously scary music, I already replied with Ligeti's Atmospheres, I will now reply with one of my own pieces. This is a truly horrifying piece. It has no notation of any kind, it's just improvisation. Of course some of you might be wondering what instrument this is played on. The sound is one of me torturing a violin by playing really high notes and played on either sides of the violin's bridge. I really don't know how to play violin much anymore but this came to me easily. :lol: I added a little reverb to make it sound even scarier. But, since I don't know what your movie looks like I can't make anything exactly in sync to it. Please listen and comment freely!! :phones:

The Nightmare.mp3

Ok, so since your looking for some seriously scary music, I already replied with Ligeti's Atmospheres, I will now reply with one of my own pieces. This is a truly horrifying piece. It has no notation of any kind, it's just improvisation. Of course some of you might be wondering what instrument this is played on. The sound is one of me torturing a violin by playing really high notes and played on either sides of the violin's bridge. I really don't know how to play violin much anymore but this came to me easily. :lol: I added a little reverb to make it sound even scarier. But, since I don't know what your movie looks like I can't make anything exactly in sync to it. Please listen and comment freely!! :phones:

The Nightmare.mp3

lol at the notion that this is 'scary' in any way

lol at the notion that this is 'scary' in any way

To be fair though, it is very cool. But... not scary in the least.

Ok, so since your looking for some seriously scary music, I already replied with Ligeti's Atmospheres, I will now reply with one of my own pieces. This is a truly horrifying piece. It has no notation of any kind, it's just improvisation. Of course some of you might be wondering what instrument this is played on. The sound is one of me torturing a violin by playing really high notes and played on either sides of the violin's bridge. I really don't know how to play violin much anymore but this came to me easily. :lol: I added a little reverb to make it sound even scarier. But, since I don't know what your movie looks like I can't make anything exactly in sync to it. Please listen and comment freely!! :phones:

The Nightmare.mp3

creepy stuff :P

poor violin ... I petty the fool =P

------

I remembered sthing ... it's not that classical but very scary look for any work of "Alice Cooper" !!! (especially the early ones !!! )

you might find what you are looking for in some "Avant-Garde" Metal bands ...

Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance always gave me shivers.

(I'm serious btw.)

Orff - Trionfo di Afrofita (ending)

Prokofiev - Fiery Angel (entr'act + "magister doctissime")

Penderecki - Luke Passion (all of it)

Mahler - Symphony No.6 (Finale) ?

They don't scare me anymore, (well maybe Penderecki's) but i suposse they did scare me once)

Bye the way, I didn't know there were several Pomp and Circumstance

I don't know if this has already been listed or not, but this piece has a SERIOUS creepy factor. Everything about the atmosphere is just...so eerie and "wrong". Her playing is so insane and other-worldly, and the piece itself is maniacal and twisted. I get serious chills watching this every time I see it.

I'm surprised that you didnt mentioned the most obvious one: Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain

It's some scary epic scraggy :D nice piece!

Here's the original one with animation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txo06c1k9sk&feature=related

I'm surprised that you didnt mentioned the most obvious one: Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain

It's some scary epic scraggy :D nice piece!

Sry for double post!!