# Powerfull Moody classical, Think "O\` Fortuna" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054 "2001-11-13T03:18:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/1 "2001-11-13T03:18:57Z")
Does anyone know of any very powerfull moody classical music, like “O’Fortuna”, and “Duel of the Fates” from Star Wars? These are the only ones I know of. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/2 "2001-11-13T05:04:58Z")
“Mars the Bringer of War” by Gustav Holst (from “The Planets,” which inspired much of the “Star Wars” soundtrack") “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Moussourgsky “The Scythian Suite” by Sergei Prokofiev ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/3 "2001-11-13T05:17:13Z")
Dude, could you maybe ask a broader question? 😃 By moody, I’ll assume you mean either dark or full of tension, if not both. “Duel of the Fates” is just one of John Williams’ really good jobs in the Star Wars series. Why not the Imperial March, or the Emperor’s Theme? “O Fortuna” is merely the first (and last) movement of _Carmina Burana: canciones sacrae et profanae_. Carl Orff did a great job there, and you might want to look at the rest of the piece. I recommend the second movement – can’t remember the name, but the first verse is “Fortune plango vulnera/ stilantibus ocelis/ quod su a mi chi munera/ subtrahit rebelis/ verum est quod legitur/ fronte capilata/ sed plerum que sequitur/ ocasio calvata.” you’ll hear an awful lot of what inspired Williams in Episode 1’s “Duel of the Fates.” Also, “Circa Mea Pectora” (can’t remember the movement number) is another good choice. While we’re on the subject, how about the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (lots of power and tension)? Or Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue for organ (the quintessential creepy organ music)? Or Bach’s Adagio For Strings (extremely tense and sad)? If you want soundtrack-level music on par with Williams, try Basil Poledouris. Two of his orchestrations (_The Hunt for Red October_ and _Conan the Barbarian_) will provide lots of terrific fodder. _Conan_ has a great and very listenable soundtrack and is one of my favorites. I haven’t listened to the music from the sequel, but it’s nowhere near as good IIRC. I’m not a classical specialist, and I know I’m leaving out a lot of things I should mention. But there’s a tremendous amount of work just like what you;re looking for, and these would be great starts. **Addendum:** Upon preview, I see that **astorian** has added some great tracks that I was too thick-headed to remember. Another one you might like a whole bunch is _In the Hall of the Mountain King_ by some European guy whose name escapes me. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/4 "2001-11-13T05:35:21Z")
You might also try _Symphony of Sorrowful Songs_ by Henri Gorecki, and the _Gladiator_ soundtrack. There’s also Barber’s _Adigio for Strings_. Its not the uplifting type of music like _O Fortuna_, but a deeply moving piece, none the less. ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/5 "2001-11-13T05:56:44Z")
Thank you, **Tuckerfan,** for correcting me composer-wise. Barber was the string adagio boy. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/6 "2001-11-13T06:14:59Z")
I am thinking powerful, like Mars, that is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/7 "2001-11-13T06:27:53Z")
You mean catchy accessible stuff you’ve heard somewhere before. 🙂 How about - “Thus spake Zarathustra” by Richard Strauss. The opening of Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances”. Satie’s “Gymnopidies” and “Gnossiennes”. Elgar’s “Nimrod” from the “Enigma Variations”. Vaughan Williams’ “Greensleeves Fantasia” and “Lark Ascending”. And too much Mozart, Vivaldi, Handel and Bach to mention ---
**Author:** ![moodtobestewed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@moodtobestewed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodtobestewed)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/8 "2001-11-13T13:22:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cap’n Crude \* > > Another one you might like a whole bunch is _In the Hall of the Mountain King_ by some European guy whose name escapes me. \*\* Edvard Grieg, and I think _In the Hall of the Mountain King_ is a great suggestion. Also, the section entitled “Montagues And Capulets” from Prokofiev’s _Romeo and Juliet_: it opens slowly with a couple of deafening crescendos and then goes into one of the coolests riffs in all of classical music. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/9 "2001-11-13T13:30:33Z")
Sibelius. _Finlandia_ and _En Saga_, for definite. _Luonnatar_ if you don’t mind sopranoes, and _Tapiola_ if you want brooding rather than stormy. And the finale of the Fifth Symphony - “Thor swinging his hammer”. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/10 "2001-11-13T17:34:34Z")
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Ralph Vaughan Williams) ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/11 "2001-11-13T17:48:34Z")
The fourth movement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony, the “Liebestod” from _Tristan und Isolde_, the Funeral March from _Siegfried_(it’s used in the opening of _Excalibur_, the Gods’ Entrance into Valhalla from _Das Rheingold_, the Magic Fire theme from _Die Walkure_, the “Rex Tremendus” from Mozart’s _Requiem_. ---
**Author:** ![Umbriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9de053/32.png) [@Umbriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/12 "2001-11-13T18:25:58Z")
A few orchestral movie soundtracks off the beaten path, but personal favorites, and I think right up Muad’Dib’s alley: Hellbound: Hellraiser II – by Christopher Young The Final Conflict – by Jerry Goldsmith Where Eagles Dare – by Ron Goodwin And, sort of spanning the gap between movie soundtracks and “real” classical music, would be Prokofiev’s score for Alexander Nevsky; particularly the Teutonic Knights’ theme, which was glommed by John Milius for the above-mentioned _Conan the Barbarian_ soundtrack Also, while the Funeral March gobear cites is indeed that of the character Siegfried, I believe it technically is found in _Die Gotterdammerung_, rather than _Siegfried_. There are a number of Wagner anthologies that contain the piece, and other suitably bombastic stuff, so there shouldn’t be too much confusion anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/13 "2001-11-13T20:28:56Z")
Absolute best possible answer to this question: 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th symphony (ode to joy) Other good answers: _The Firebird Suite_ by Stravinksy _The 1812 Overture_ by Tchaikovsky the 4th movement of Shostakovitch’s 5th Symphony The Verdi Requiem The final two pieces from Moussorsgy’s _Pictures at an Exhibition_, as orchestrated by Ravel (The hut of Baba Yaga and The Great Gate of Kiev) ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/14 "2001-11-14T01:41:34Z")
The Second Movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/15 "2001-11-14T03:38:08Z")
**Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5**. You’re probably familiar with the first movement, which probably contains the most recognizable four-note motif in the world. But you really must listen to the entire four-movement symphony to get the full experience - the omninous first movement, resignation in the second, the dark and brooding third, and finally the triumphant fourth movement. You’ll hear echoes of that opening motif in all four movements, and it says something different each time. Sit back and turn the volume to 11. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/16 "2001-11-14T03:41:22Z")
I’ll second the Verdi _Requiem_, especially the _Dies Irae_. And I’ll repeat what I said in the thread [I need oppressive choral music](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=59355). The ballet “Daphnis and Chloe”, music by Ravel. It contains the “Danse guerriere”, the war dance of the pirates, at the beginning of the second part. Very effective. There is a bacchanal (“Danse generale”) at the end of the ballet, an incredible piece of music. 1. The ballet music was written to include a wordless chorus (they sing “ah”, “ooh”, and sometimes hum). However, it is sometimes recorded without a chorus. Make sure you get a recording with a chorus. There are many good recordings of the complete ballet. One nice LP performance reissued on CD is “Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Complete / Munch, Boston Symphony 1993-08-10 / RCA Victor Living Stereo - 61846”. 2. There are also many recordings of two suites which contain excerpts from the ballet. Suite #1 ends with the “Danse guerriere” and suite #2 ends with the bacchanal. You may want to check these recordings out. And again: get a recording with a chorus. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/17 "2001-11-14T03:46:15Z")
Two more. Debussy’s second nocturne for orchestra, _Fetes (“Festivals”)_. The third section of Debussy’s _La Mer_. ---
**Author:** ![Forbin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@Forbin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forbin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/18 "2001-11-14T06:03:30Z")
The prologue to **“Mefistofele”** by Arrigo Boito. Powerfull music that evokes the very Throne Room of Heaven. Boito begins his retelling of the Faust legend in a manner very like the Old Testament book of “Job”. ---
**Author:** ![Kipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kipper)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/19 "2001-11-16T05:27:39Z")
Well from the all of three seconds of the sound track of “The Fellowship of the Ring”, I think it might fit the bill exactly (exept for the Enya bits:)). ---
**Author:** ![Theobroma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Theobroma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theobroma)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2001, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054/20 "2001-11-17T21:37:51Z")
The last movement, “The Storm,” from Gustav Mahler’s first symphony. A real window-rattler. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powerfull-moody-classical-think-o-fortuna/93054.md?page=2)