Essential Classical - Pt. 1: Fury

As kiyoshi is busy finding popular music, let's jump back a few hundred years. They sure don't make 'em like they used to. Hopefully this'll be the first in a full-fledged series on getting you familiarized with the best of the best classical music around. Now you can finally know the name of that song you always liked but couldn't really Google the lyrics for...

Oh, but you think classical's boring?

Not to worry, this first set is just a sample as to how angry those super-oldies can get. This is music you go to war to. Check it out.

ARE YOU READY TO GET ANGRY YET??

Here we go, in whatever particular order:

1) Mussorgsky - A Night on Bald Mountain
Let's get this one out of the way first. Used in Fantasia, as you can see. I'm not a big fan, cause it doesn't get me ANGRY enough, but it gets close. Gotta love that animation.

2) Mozart - Symphony No. 25 in G minor
Solid. I actually only have the last 2:32 (most dramatic) piece of this song, so I gotta find the whole thing somewhere...

Where you've seen it: Amadeus (1:57 into the clip)

3) Holst - Mars, the Bringer of War
It's widely said that Hans Zimmer ripped off parts of this song for the Gladiator battle theme. See for yourself.

Where you've seen it: Let's be honest. None of you watch the Venture Bros. So let's just say you heard it in Gladiator.

4) Mozart - Dies Irae
You've HAD to have heard this at least once...

5) Verdi - Dies Irae
Interesting tidbit: in the 2001: A Space Odyssey book, Bowman nearly has a breakdown when playing this song in deep space.

Where you've seen it: Battle Royale prologue.

6) Vivaldi - Summer III (Presto)
It's a shame everyone's most familiar with the most weaksauce of Vivaldi's seasons - Spring. As I read somewhere, Vivaldi manages to put the essence of summer thunderstorms into the last movement of Summer.

Where you've seen it: not sure, but check out funtwo

7) Vivaldi - Winter I (Allegro non molto)
Shit, if you liked summer, wait til it's Winter. There are no words. Especially after I saw it in Oldboy.

Where you've seen it: Oldboy. SPOILER and SQUEAMISH WARNING

The gist of the scene is Dae-su (guy with the hammer) is getting back at the guy who imprisoned him for 15 years. "Each tooth I extract will age you by one year." Hooo man.

8) Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights (aka, Montagues and Capulets)
I almost went nuts looking for the name of this song. As you might guess, Prokofiev is a Russian name, hence the "hammer and sickle" feel to it.

Where you've seen it: Muse's 2007 concert in Wembley Stadium (their H.A.A.R.P. live album). Now if you could walk into, say, an interview like that, you'd be set. For life.

9) And finally, Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries
Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit!

Where you've seen it: Apocalypse Now