We’ve all heard it. The jokes about classical music putting people to sleep. Sure, some pieces are great for studying, meditation, weddings, and solemn events, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this genre. If all classical music were soft, quiet, and relaxing, orchestra life would be pretty boring especially for the percussion and brass sections. Forte would be a rare dynamic. Fortissimo an impossibility. And audiences would be very hard to come by – unless, of course, they were trying to catch some zzz’s.
So why do people say that about classical music? Maybe it’s because they just haven’t heard the more rousing pieces. Maybe they only remember the softer side of classical because that’s all they hear at weddings. Regardless of the reason, here’s a list of badass classical music that shatters the stereotype.
- Orff – Carmina Burana / “O Fortuna”
- Holst – The Planets, Mars
- Verdi – Requiem “Dies Irae”
- Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries
- Vivaldi – The Four Seasons: Summer Mvt. 3 Presto
- Bizet – Carmen Overture / Les Toreadors
- Mussorgsky – Night on Bald Mountain
- Verdi – Il Trovatore / “Anvil Chorus”
- Khachaturian – Sabre Dance
- Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra, Prelude
Honorable Mentions (in case you want to check out more):
- Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture
- Shostakovich – Symphony No 5, Mvt 4
- Bruckner – Symphony No 1, Mvt 3
- Grieg – In The Hall Of The Mountain King
- Dvorak – Symphony No 9, Mvt 4
- Mozart – Requiem in D minor, Dies Irae
- Bizet – L’Arlésienne Suite No 2, Mvt 4 (Farandole)
- Saint-Saëns – Symphony No 3, Mvt 3 and 4
- Beethoven – Symphony No 9, Mvt 4
- Glinka – Overture from Ruslan and Ludmilla
- Holst – The Planets, Jupiter
- Mozart – Symphony No 25, Mvt 1
- Bach – Toccata and Fugue in D minor
- Smyth – The Wreckers (Overture)
