Recommend me some dissonant music

[Bonehelm]

I've been listening to so much straight-forward stuff it isn't even funny. My mind is bored and so is my soul. I wonder what music could make my ears bleed.

[Symphonien]

Penderecki's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, at full volume might do the trick.

But generally I don't tend to listen to music for the purpose of making my ears bleed...

[Mark]

But generally I don't tend to listen to music for the purpose of making my ears bleed...

Nor I. And I don't think describing dissonant music in such a way does its image any favours.

[Novi]

How about some Bartok string quartets? Ligeti?

[gomro]

I've been listening to so much straight-forward stuff it isn't even funny. My mind is bored and so is my soul. I wonder what music could make my ears bleed.

Charles Wuorinen's Third Piano Concerto.
Iannis Xenakis' electronic piece, La Legende D'Eer.
Penderecki's De Natura Sonoris I and II.
Leon Kirchner's Third string quartet with electronic tape accompaniment.
Roberto Gerhard's 4th symphony, "New York".
Edgard Varese's Ameriques.

I find all these very appealing and very dissonant. More power to ya!

[Kullervo]

http://www.youtube.com/v/Wffwg7pA0t8

[greg]

Try THIS fine selection of Edgard Varese...

Charles Wuorinen's Third Piano Concerto.
Iannis Xenakis' electronic piece, La Legende D'Eer.
Penderecki's De Natura Sonoris I and II.
Leon Kirchner's Third string quartet with electronic tape accompaniment.
Roberto Gerhard's 4th symphony, "New York".
Edgard Varese's Ameriques.

I find all these very appealing and very dissonant. More power to ya!

mmmmmm......... exactly what i'd recommend!

my personal interpretation of really dissonant music isn't bleeding ears, but more like spice. Compare it to bland radio music and you can see dissonant music, has a real spicy punch and a strong personality. Xenakis and early Penderecki have to be the some of the most dissonant composers since they often use clusters, so if you're just craving the spice go for them first. After them, you can branch out a bit with Boulez, Ligeti, or Norgard for example 

[Bonehelm]

Wow thanks for the suggestions those are really hot and spicy.

[greg]

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,3967.0.html

my Xenakis topic. Leads you to a website with a gazillion Xenakis clips- especially check out the clips for Ata and Jonchaies 

[Heather Harrison]

In this category, I'm a big fan of Ligeti.  A while back, I bought a CD set and spent some time really listening closely to it.  For a great introduction to Ligeti, I recommend this.



Or you can check out the three original great composers of 12-tone serial music:  Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern.  Their later works using Schoenberg's 12-tone method often sound quite dissonant, and they are very successful at removing any hint of the tonal center.

Penderecki's early works are a great suggestion; I would add his Cello Concerto to the list.

If you really want to get into some serious dissonance, you can always check out Karlheinz Stockhausen - the only composer I can think of who included helicopters in his music.  (There are probably others, but I don't know of any.)

Heather

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Kodaly: Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello Op. 8 (Buy one of Starker's versions)

Nielsen: Preludio e Presto; Introduction and Theme with Variations for solo violin (Buy Kai Laursen's version)

Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas (Szigeti, or Roussin)

[Mark]

Kodaly: Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello Op. 8 (Buy one of Starker's versions)

Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas (Szigeti, or Roussin)

Two excellent calls.

[Bonehelm]

Can anyone tell me why Prokofiev is dissonant? I thought he was a composer of neoclassicism?  Then shouldn't it be simple, balanced and easy on the ears?

[marvinbrown]

I've been listening to so much straight-forward stuff it isn't even funny. My mind is bored and so is my soul. I wonder what music could make my ears bleed.

  RICHARD STRAUSS' ELEKTRA of course.  I can not think of a more dissonant work  than this opera.  ELEKTRA will definitely make your ears bleed and will do nothing to soothe your soul.  In addition to it being highly dissonant it will make your skin crawl- I recommend the DVD movie recording with Bohm conducting- never a dull moment.

  marvin

[techniquest]

Can anyone tell me why Prokofiev is dissonant?

Because of the dischordant, harsh and disharmonic sound that he often produces in his chord and tone structures, which is 'dissonance'.
Have a listen to Prokofievs' 2nd Symphony - the first movement is almost a demonstration piece in how dissonance works as is the final variation in the second movement which become more and more dissonant as the section progresses.
The opening of Bartoks 'Miraculous Mandarin' is also wonderfully dissonant. Shchedrins' ballet 'Anna Karenina' has some great music which shows how consonance and dissonance can work so well in the overall structure of how music is shaped - particularly in the horse race section where the 'brass band' theme is systematically destroyed by the orchestra as the story developes.

[hautbois]

Schoenberg's Pelleas et Melinsande is a beautiful introduction to the world of (sparse usage of) 12 tone techniques AND the incredibly effective use of dissonance. It is overwhelming yet completely understandable. Sinopoli/Philharmonia and Karajan/BPO made great recordings, which i highly recommend, though many other big names have also recordd them. Try it!



Howard

[Norbeone]

Webern's Five pieces for Orchestra Op.10 and his Five piece for String quartet Op.5.

Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces and his Suite for Piano Op25. And his 6 small pieces Op19.

All amazing pieces which you CAN'T dislike!

[Mark]

Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces ...

Good 'beginner' pieces, these.

[quintett op.57]

Schnittke

[greg]

Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas (Szigeti, or Roussin)

good stuff, though i wouldn't recommend this as a demonstration of dissonance itself- the Violin Concertos and (violin) Sonatas are more mellow than his other stuff. At least for this thread, i'd recommend what techniquest recommended- the 2nd Symphony