The most wicked, demonic sounding piece...

[thalbergmad]

Tausig - The Ghostship

[sergei r]

Can anyone give me a mp3 of 'The Birth of venus'

And a mp3 of 'The Banshee' by Henry Cowell and the sheet music?

Thanks

The Birth of Venus can be found at Classicalarchives.com.

Not sure about The Banshee though, Etude posted a Gamingforce link earlier in this thread for the sheet music but it doesn't work for me. Probably too old seeing as this thread was created a year ago...

[lilypiano]

Charlie Rutledge by Charles Ives
This isn't the most wicked, but it certainly sounds sinister to me. It's mocking this poor cowboy that dies.  The lady on the recording I have sings with a  girly, sick-sweet voice.  I like it though. I keep listening to it. Maybe i'm sick. haha.


Another good cow-puncher has gone to meet his fate,
I hope he'll find a resting place within the golden gate
Another place is vacant on the ranch of the X I T
'Twill be hard to find another that's liked as well as he.

The first that died was Kid White, a man both tough and brave
While Charlie Rutledge makes the third to be sent to his grave
Caused by a cow-horse falling while running after stock;
'Twas on  the spring round-up-a place where death men mock.

He went forward one morning on a circle through the hills,
He was gay and full of glee, and free from earthly ills,
But when it came to finish up the work on which he went,
Nothing came back from him; for his time on earth was spent

T'was as he rode the round-up, an X I T turned back to the herd
Poor Charlie shoved him in again, his cutting horse he spurred
Another turned; at that moment his horse the creature spied
And turned and fell with him, and, beneath, poor Charlie died.

His relations in Texas his face nevermore will see,
But I hope he will meet his loved ones beyond in eternity.
I hope he will meet his parents, will meet them face to face
And that they will grasp him by the right hand at the shining
     throne of grace.

[caperflutist]

Another contender is Pendrecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima.  Quite a shocking piece, would love to hear a live performance of it.

I totally agree, though I personally think it is very painful to listen to

[arensky]

Sonata #9 and Sonata #6, Scriabin. Scary stuff...

[jre58591]

Sonata #9 and Sonata #6, Scriabin. Scary stuff...

most late scriabin is pretty trippy. i love it all.

i wanna add villa-lobos's rudepoêma. this piece is a real acid trip. the ending is pretty wicked and demonic.

[anekdote]

Scriabin's 8th Sonata. It's amazing.

[sevencircles]

I totally agree, though I personally think it is very painful to listen to

It is supposed to be painfull. Imagine yourself being in a radio active explosion. I assure you that it is painfull.

[intothenight]

'Neurosis' by Kresimir Seletkovic, Croatian piano piece, played by maksim. Quite strange..

[steve jones]

I think that Schoenberg's music is pretty nasty. His 'Five pieces for Orchestra' scares the pants out of me! Also, Penderecki's Cello Concerto's are scary (along with pretty much all of his atonal stuff).

SJ

[jason2711]

Id vote for Totentanz (piano and orchestra) by Liszt or Danse Macabre by Saint Saens (orchestra)

Second last movement of Moussorgky's pictures at an exhibition is pretty demonic (hut on chicken's legs/ hut of the baba-yaga)

[stucoy]

'Scarbo' from Gaspard de la Nuit, especially Martha Argerich's live recording

[stucoy]

'Scarbo' from Gaspard de la Nuit, especially Martha Argerich's live recording.

[cfortunato]

I thought "Bald Mountain" had retired the title

[zheer]

Sadly nothing sounds wicked or demonic to me anymore, however a gess Liszt must have written a number of demonic sounding pieces.

[soliloquy]

Ryoji Ikeda's "Per se"

For piano, "Ornament" from Corigliano's Etude Fantasy

[panic]

Arthur Vincent Lourie's Gigue on "Kaleidoscope" too.

[bflatminor24]

Since no one has mentioned it I'll add to the list my continual obsession...Alkan's Quasi-Faust, which has not only a nothing-if-not-demonic first seven minutes but also an overt "Le Diable" march theme at one minute in.

haha, chris you are complete obsessed.  Personally I find Liszt's Totentanz, Chopin's Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35, Scriabin Etude 42/5 in C sharp minor (Rachmaninoff said this was the hardest piece he learned, and it took him half an hour). Also some demonic pieces are Beethoven Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111 first movement, and some short works. Although brief, some Chopin etudes convey demonic imagery better than anything. Preludes (Op. 28) in B flat minor, E flat minor, F minor, D minor, and F sharp minor are all frightening and demonic.

Quasi Faust is still kickass. Gogo powerful minor keys (like E flat/D sharp, D, F, C, B flat)!

[medtnerian]

George Crumb - Black Angels