# Give me some epic music. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289 "2005-10-14T22:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/21 "2005-10-15T20:22:47Z")
I don’t have this personally, but I’ve heard that the soundtrack to _Phantom of the Opera_ is stellar, especially played loud enough to make the windows rattle. ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/22 "2005-10-15T21:01:48Z")
Hall Of The Mountain King by Apocalyptica Overture by Bjork (Don’t worry; it’s an instrumental) Battle of Evermore by Led Zepplin Requiem for a Dream Soundtrack Metallica’s version of the Imperial March Oh Comely by Neutral Milk Hotel ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/23 "2005-10-16T00:35:38Z")
The Ferry Corsten remix of William Orbit’s version of Barber’s _Adagio For Strings_. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/24 "2005-10-17T03:00:12Z")
You’re all wonderful. I think I’ll have my epic tastes filled out for a while. I’m also getting some Gregorian chant, which can be solemnly epic in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/25 "2005-10-17T03:20:09Z")
I don’t care if I’m too late, I need to recommend pretty much everything ever composed by John Williams. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hook)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/26 "2005-10-17T03:36:07Z")
The 13th Warrior (Valhalla) Raiders of the Lost Ark > [@Agent Foxtrot](#): > > Anything from the _Conan the Barbarian_ soundtrack. This is a must. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/27 "2005-10-17T12:44:03Z")
This is obscure and may be hard to locate but look for the “Overture from A Bridge Too Far” by Jerry Goldsmith BTW: Good WWII war movie if you have never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/28 "2005-10-17T12:52:43Z")
John Williams is, of course, very big on Fanfares. Get his “Best of” doucle CD set and you’ll get: **Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Indiana Jones ET Superman Jurassic Park Olympic Fanfare** Impressive all. I’ve always really liked the opening theme from **The Rocketeer** by James Horner Evidently so did Disney. They continued to use it for several of their advertising trailers for years afterwards. a lot of Rick Wakeman’s albums have pretty impressive orchestral openings, too. Look at **Journey to the Center of the Earth** , and its 25-year-later “sequel” **Return to the Center of the Earth** and **Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table** You also can’t go wrong with lots of classical fanfares, notably Aaron Copland’s often played **Fanfare for the Common Man**. My all-time favotie “epic” music is the orchestral work of Ludwig von Beethoven, especiaaly as performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonik. The Nine Symphonies and the Overtures will blow you away. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/29 "2005-10-17T12:56:36Z")
Looking through the list, **Priapus** mentioned my all-time favorite movie composer, **Bernard Hermann**. How could I forget him? He did movie music for Orsonn Welles and Alfred Hitchcock. But arguably his best overtures were for Harryhausen’s films. I love the work he did for **The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad** and **Jason and the Argonauts** , not to mention **The Mysterious Island** and **The Three Worlds of Gulliver**. His music alone made Harryhausen’s monstroud creations seem huge and ponderous. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/30 "2005-10-17T13:03:11Z")
And for Aussie rock parochialism: Hunters and Collectors _Holy Grail_ ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/31 "2005-10-17T13:25:44Z")
Don’t forget the soundtracks to **Braveheart** and **Gladiator**. When it comes to soundtracks, James Horner is your man for epic scores. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/32 "2005-10-17T13:35:35Z")
Oh, I almost forgot – **Elmer Bernstein** ’s score for **The Magnificent Seven** , which was hijacked for Marlboro cigarette ads on TV for ages. Richard Rodgers music for the series **Victory at Sea** , which he later turned into the orchestral performance piece **Victory at Sea Suite**. Impressive opening and closing fanfares. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/33 "2005-10-20T16:41:19Z")
> [@The Hook](#): > > The 13th Warrior (Valhalla) > Raiders of the Lost Ark > > This is a must. ``` Hook....there have been 3 Valhalla bands since the '60's, I went to AMG to find out which album this song is on and it is not listed. I orderred the only album released by Valhalla from the 60's. I remember hearing of this album 35 yrs, ago but had forgot about it until your post. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/34 "2005-10-20T17:04:06Z")
Saint-Saens Symphony #2. Wow. Just Wow. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #6 is also good to brandish swords to. Also consider Stravinsky’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn, Rimsky-Korsikoff’s Scheherzade, and Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/35 "2005-10-20T18:19:10Z")
**Journey to the Line** by Hans Zimmer. Starts very slow and soft, but towards the end… Wow… Especially effective if you’ve seen the first season of _Carnivale_- It’s the last music played in the first season, overlaid with some really amazingly dramatic scenes, and Clancy Brown giving an absolutely -chilling- speech. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/36 "2005-10-20T19:06:57Z")
Chicago: “Liberation” - some 15 minutes of instrumental Rock. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/37 "2005-10-20T19:20:11Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > This is obscure and may be hard to locate but look for the “Overture from A Bridge Too Far” by Jerry Goldsmith It would definitely be hard to locate because Goldsmith didn’t write it. John Addison did. Nobody ever mentions [Ron Goodwin](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00069DM7S/qid=1129835957/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-4571314-5365768?v=glance&s=music&n=507846) in these kind of threads, so I will–particularly his fantastic music for **633 Squadron**. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/38 "2005-10-20T20:15:51Z")
**Atom Heart Mother** by Pink Floyd. You can practically see the epic hoards marching. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289/39 "2005-10-21T00:31:18Z")
> [@marque elf](#): > > Anything by Wagner is epic. Wagner was writing for the ages and, damn well knew it. The **Ring** cycle, especially the final part, which gave us\*\* Ride Of The Valkeries\*\*, Pish-tosh! The _Ride of the Valkyries_ appears part of the way into the **second** opera in Wagner’s _Der Ring des Nibelungen_ cycle. The whole cycle is 4 operas long. The theme’s placement hardly qualifies as “the final part”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-epic-music/326289.md?page=1)