The most wicked, demonic sounding piece...

[jbmajor]

in my opinion goes to Scriabin's  Op. 8 no. 12, performed by Knut-Erik Jensen.  It's short and to the point; even romantic if you listen closely.  One of those pieces that would give me chills hearing it played on good Bosendorfer or Steinway concert grand. 

[pianiststrongbad]

I think this has been discussed before.  My vote goes to Erlkonig by Schubert.  Whenever the devil is speaking the music is all happy- very twisted.  And when the boy speaks he is a half step out of key from the piano part.  It is really intense.  Another really spooky piece is the Diabolic Suggestion by Prokofiev.

[Nightscape]

I think Iraida Yusapova's "The Birth of Venus" takes the cake here.  It's a composition filled with dissonant, writhing brass, wicked, chaotic pizzicatos, and a computer-generated noise that sounds like the voice of Satan himself.  Seriously, this piece has freaked me out!!  Also her composition, "The Birds" is pretty frightening. 

If you want to hear her music, she's a featured composer over at ClassicalArchives.com.

[Goldberg]

"Survivor from Warsaw" by Schoenberg, Ligeti's "Requiem," and for piano, there's a good, very underrated fantasy by Liszt on a theme from Meyerbeer's "Robert le Diable" which is perfectly Mephistophelean!

[mikeyg]

A couple of schuman's symphonic etudes sound sinister to me.  I can't remember exactly which ones

[pianocrazy]

birth of venus IS wicked. my friend (who obviously does not know anything about music) said it should be entitled "noise"

[llamaman]

The Erkling, or maybe Mars from "The Planets" by Holst. That piece creeps me out a little.

[darkthrone666]

The Banshee by Henry Cowell.  It's played inside the piano on the strings. I want to get the sheetmusic for it but it is hard to find.

[apion]

Liszt's Totentanz for piano and orchestra is diabolically demonic in its evil wickedness.

[Kassaa]

Liszt's Totentanz for piano and orchestra is diabolically demonic in its evil wickedness.

I concur

[nicolo]

Not that it's the most demonic peice out there, but everytime I think of it the first adj that comes to mind is demonic, added together with the fact that I've been talking about it for a couple of days now, I'll throw in Chopin's 3rd Scherzo in C#min for its opening, octave sections (up to main theme), and Coda.

Demonic isn't the foremost adj but it is certainly there, wicked is much better but still not it.  I don't even know if there is a word that can capture all of the characteristics; morbid, demonic, chilling, & the downright state of rotting well enough to describe the impact that the peice which bears the most ironic name borrowed from it's time signature...Vivace -  Movement IV from Sonata No 2 in B flat minor by Chopin.  "Wind over Graves" just bearly scratches the surface.  I would add disorienting to the list of adjvs.

[6ft 4]

Dance of Death 

[Etude]

The Banshee by Henry Cowell.  It's played inside the piano on the strings. I want to get the sheetmusic for it but it is hard to find.

https://www.gamingforce.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48704

[Etude]

Penderecki's cappricio is quite wild and demonic sounding.

I think Iraida Yusapova's "The Birth of Venus" takes the cake here. 

I'm listening to it right now, that computer generated noise is very disturbing.  It's quite an interesting piece, but its so repetitive...

[pokeythepenguin]

Penderecki Cello Concerto
Penderecki Partita for Harpsichord
Berg Violin Concerto


and for solo piano music


Corigliano Etude Fantasy
Ginastera Sonata No. 1
Messiaen Visions de l'Amen: Amen of the Stars, of the Ringed Planet



You can be pretty safe in assuming anything by Penderecki will be what you're looking for ^.-

[Nightscape]

Penderecki's cappricio is quite wild and demonic sounding.

I'm listening to it right now, that computer generated noise is very disturbing.  It's quite an interesting piece, but its so repetitive...

One time, I was asleep and had music playing from my playlist (which includes that piece) but I was only about half-asleep, awake enough to hear the music, but asleep enough to be dreaming.  Anyways that piece (Birth of Venus) came on, and I started having the strangest sensations in my dream- I could hear the music playing and it was part of my dream.  I don't remember what exactly happened in the dream, but in that half-asleep state, the music became almost magnified and it was like I was hearing it on a subjective level - and it deeply moved me!  Anyways I've always been fascinated with it ever since.  As far as the repetition goes, I've found that most of her pieces are like that (quite lengthy and repetitive).  Some are quite beautiful, totally the opposite of Venus, like Polycordia.  But they all have that trance-like, motionless feel to them.  I don't necessarily consider this a fault when it comes to this very modern compositional style however.  If you were to apply this method of repitition to Chopin or Bach though, the result would be horrendous, because the movement of thier music is based on harmonic and contrapuntal movement.  Imagine having to listen to "Jesu Jesu Joy of Man's desiring" repeated without a break for half and hour, or longer!  You would simply go mad!  It's like that episode from Seinfield.

[Nightscape]

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

[pita bread]

3rd Movement of the Ginastera Sonata #1 - I first heard this as background music for a young lady's dance at the Spotlight Awards, very sinister.

Sorabji - St. Bertrand de Comminges He was laughing in the tower

Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit

Scriabin - Sonatas #6, #9, Etude Op. 65 #3

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto #2

[Dazzer]

not exactly for piano, but Berlioz Symphony Fantastique. Witches! ARGH!

[Nightscape]

Oh!  I forgot.  Add Aaron Copland's "Music for a Great City" to the list.

[jhon]

I have heard somewhere that PAGANINI was once accused of being "possesed" by evil spirit during his time because of his  compositions and his muvh virtuosity in violin playing.  And for that, I understand now why La Campanella (Liszt) and Paganini Rhapsody (Rachmaninoff) have diabolic elements (as if "dancing evil spirits") in some of their aspects or parts. 

[pita bread]

Well, I believe the Rachmaninoff Paganini Rhapsody includes a second theme - Dies Irae.

[luc]

Oh my god, 'The Banshee' is extremely crazy 
I wouldn't know how to play this on an upright (or on a digital- ha ha) 

I just heard a recording of this piece (can't follow the sheet *lol*)
Very freaky

[pianojems]

carmina burana - o fortuna, it was playing on my stereo while I was sleeping and recording a tape for my music history class...freaked me out in the dark

mephisto waltz

La Valse - Ravel

[jhon]

I thought of another one ... TOTENTANZ and Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens) both by Liszt! 

BTW, what does - Dies Irae mean?

[jhon]

I have just observe that Liszt's music has more tendency of having this "demonic" nature above anyone during hs time.  For sure, he is more "vulgar" than Brahms or Chopin.  And he is fond of always embellishing almost all his pieces with cadanzas which adds up to the "transcendental" nature of his pieces.  Just a personal view...

[exigence]

BTW, what does - Dies Irae mean?

Day of Wrath.

[jbmajor]

The Banshee by Henry Cowell.  It's played inside the piano on the strings. I want to get the sheetmusic for it but it is hard to find.

I just listened to it.  It's interesting, but very subdued and subtle sounding.  It would sound much better I think if it were used in conjuction on a separate piano along with another piece that used the keyboard; for instance, played after a slow, dark sounding piece with lots of bass and contrasting treble.  The Halloween theme is one that comes to mind. 

There's a Rachmaninoff etude that is wicked sounding- tableaux op. 39 no 6 in Aminor. 

[sevencircles]

Night on the Bald Mountain by Mussorgskij

my favorite Jonchaies ( Xenakis)

Plenty of works by Gubaidulina and Stravinski

[nanabush]

Le gibet and Scarbo from Gaspard
Chopin preludes in F minor and E flat minor
Chopin etude in B minor
Liszt Mazeppa (there's only really one section imo but still evil sounding)
-----where do you get a recording of Banshee online or do you have to buy it?

[guru_of_time]

Go listen to Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2...it's still wicked awesome

[apion]

Go listen to Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2...it's still wicked awesome

Yep, Proko's PC 2 in g minor is WICKEDLY AWESOME.

[guru_of_time]

the first movement with it's enchanting melody...and then powerful melody...

the second movement with it's straight 16th notes every single beat for both hands and just awesome sounding

the third movement with it's incredibly difficult counting parts (tons of 5 vs 6) and then the loud chords at the end

the fourth movement with it's just in general awesome soundingness

after the first few times I listened to it, I didn't really like it...then I listened to it some more and loved it

being able to play this is my second top goal (Rach 3 is first lol)