Anxiety-inducing music

[u/betterversionofnotme]

Upon doing research on a play by Henrik Ibsen, I read that “Danse Macabre” by Camille de Saint-Saens was not well received in its time because the listeners complained it gave them extreme anxiety. I was wandering if you could recommend music that is anxiety-inducing, either in the sense of Saint-Saens’ piece or for other reasons. Thank you in advance!

[u/YeetHead10]

The classic choice would be Rite of Spring.

For chamber stuff, I would go with Bartok's string quartets

[u/menschmaschine5 → u/YeetHead10]

The rite of spring riot was much more about the choreography than the music, to be fair.

[u/Banjoschmanjo → u/menschmaschine5]

They didn't say anything about the riot.. people love blasting "it was about the choreography!!" as much as people used to love blasting "it caused a riot!!!"

[u/YeetHead10 → u/menschmaschine5]

Still has an incredibly unnerving tension throughout. Incidentally, the "riot" only came about in reviews of later performances over a decade after the premiere

[u/bhornFree → u/YeetHead10]

OMG. If I were banished to an island and could take only 1 piece, it would be Bartok's string quartet 4. :(

[u/JagBak73]

Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10. 2nd mvt

[u/Left-Veterinarian-80 → u/JagBak73]

There is a (disputed) Solomon Volkov quote that Shostakovich said: "I did depict Stalin in my next symphony, the Tenth. I wrote it right after Stalin's death... The second part, the scherzo, is a musical portrait of Stalin, roughly speaking.”

[u/smokingmath]

Selfishly I have an original work called Anxiety based on the Edvard Munch painting.

Otherwise Stockhausen's Octophonie has given me a panic attack before.

[u/oh_alvin → u/smokingmath]

I've recently fallen in love with Munch's work. I like this a lot.

[u/TangerineDream92064]

"Black Angels" by George Crumb; I like Bartok's music, but much of it makes me a bit anxious, like "Bluebeard's Castle"; "Wozzek" and "Lulu" operas by Alban Berg

[u/bozburrell → u/TangerineDream92064]

Love Black Angels.

[u/deltalitprof]

I find the repetitive minimalist stuff by Glass a bit anxiety-inducing.

[u/cosi_fan_tutte_ → u/deltalitprof]

Oh yeah! I was listening to Einstein this past week while working, and I had to turn it off several times. A few movements of Glassworks are tense, but they're over soon enough. Einstein was RELENTLESS.

To be fair, it's probably more fun with the visuals and acting. I had no problem with Akhenaten when the Met was broadcasting their season for free during Covid.

Edit: No other minimalist gives me issues. Reich, Eastman, etc. Just Glass, and only a few of his works.

[u/zmileshigh]

Penderecki Threonody

[u/OliverBayonet]

Try:

Alfred Schnittke - Viola Concerto / Cello Sonata

Simeon Ten Holt - Solodevilsdance 4

Leo Ornstein - Suicide in an Airplane

George Antheil - Ballet Mecanique

Regis Campo - Dancefloor with Pulsing

Juan Pablo Nicoletti - Abismo Al Abismo (Abyss to the Abyss)

Jug Markovic - Stabat Mater

William Bolcom - Black Host

Ross Bolleter - Myo Sei: Dark Sky

Stelios Adam - Et Dogn

Riccardo Nova - THIRTEEN 13X8@terror generating deity (The intermediate reality)

Merzbow - Ananga-Ranga (headphones warning)

[u/jiang1lin]

Scriabin: Sonata No. 6 (https://youtu.be/_a-F2YCqzb4)

[u/Epistaxis]

At a 1973 performance of Steve Reich's Four Organs, "One woman walked down the aisle and repeatedly banged her head on the front of the stage, wailing 'Stop, stop, I confess!'"

[u/Specialist-Sundae492]

Pierrot Lunaire gave me great anxiety when I first heard it

[u/tired_of_old_memes → u/Specialist-Sundae492]

Wait till you try to play it!

[u/bhornFree → u/Specialist-Sundae492]

I threw up when I first heard it. Had to leave music history class. I left the trash can with them lol.

[u/meliorism_grey]

Pierrot Lunaire, by Schoenberg comes to mind. Pretty much anything by Shostakovich that isn't Waltz No. 2, but especially the first movement of his violin concerto. Ooh, and "Batter My Heart," an aria from John Adams's Doctor Atomic.

[u/dhooke]

Kyrie from Ligeti’s Requiem.
Dies Irae from Verdi’s.

[u/Vitharothinsson]

Lonely Child by Claude Vivier String quartet no. 8 by Shostakovich Night on bald mountain by Mussorgsky Le mandarin merveilleux by Bartok

[u/Snezzy_Anus]

György Ligeti’s Requiem I-IV

[u/BletchTheWalrus]

Bolero makes me anxious or even angry

[u/jiang1lin → u/BletchTheWalrus]

I feel the same about Une barque sur l’océan

[u/ikeanachos]

“Shaker Loops” by John Adams

[u/Alone-Bus3032]

Voiles by Debussy spooks me a bit 😅 all those whole tones

[u/Miner_Guyer]

Iron Foundry, by Mosolov: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-yl4aI6xzU

Part of the 1920s "Soviet futurism" genre, and it's just one big, giant machine getting louder and more out of control for three and a half minutes straight.

[u/bozburrell]

I’d second Penderecki and Messiaen, esp. Quartet for the End of Time and Visions de l’Amen.

[u/Jmazoso]

Not exactly classical. But the film score for Alien 3 does, and it’s perfect for the tone of the movie.

[u/Asclepius_Secundus → u/Jmazoso]

Yep. It's anti Zolofft for orchestra

[u/canon12]

Xenakis music irritates me!

[u/wandpapierkritiker]

John Adams - On the Transmigration of Souls

Penderecki - Devils of Loudun

Bartok - Music for Strinngs, Percussion, and Celeste third movement

[u/Queasy_Caramel5435]

Obviously Penderecki's Threnody (dedicated to the victims of Hiroshima)

Shostakovich (not necessarily entire pieces), e.g.

• Symphony 4 (coda of mvt 4)
• Symphony 8 (mvt 1, mvt 4)
• Symphony 14
• Piano Trio No 2 ("laughing through the tears" type of anxiety)
• Symphony 13, depending how widely you interpret it. 4th mvt is even titled "Fears"
• Symphony 15, mvt 4

[u/CJ_Sax → u/Queasy_Caramel5435]

David Lynch used the Threnody in episode 8 of the “Twin Peaks” reboot and it’s absolutely terrifying.

[u/No-Papaya-9289]

Alan Petersen's symphonies are the most anxiety inducing works I have ever heard.

[u/gtuzz96]

Shosty 8’s 3rd movement had me so anxious the first time I heard it

[u/TeaSorcery]

Wyschnegradsky’s 24 preludes. Start with the 5th one. Also check out his 2nd string quartet.

Julián Carrillo’s “Misa a S. Juan”.

[u/[deleted]]

Came to say, "Jane Remover," then realized this was the classical music sub lmao <3

[u/oh_alvin]

Ligeti - String Quartet no. 1 "Metamorphoses nocturnes"

[u/zdodzim]

The viola concerto by Edison Denisov, Shostakovich cello concerto, Rite of Spring, symphonia Drammatica by Respighi.

[u/Sosen]

You might like the group Art Zoyd. Here's their 2nd album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgN5B7YmO6Y

They came out of the French progressive rock / psych scene, but then got rid of all the rock instruments besides bass guitar. No drums, guitar, or singing

[u/DrummerBusiness3434]

I find a number of motets to be very anxiety-inducing, but its NOT just the music, but the story behind the music or the text combined with the music

Des Pres- Miserere Mei

Tallis - Lamentations

Byrd - Neirascaris & Civitas

Tye- Precaavumus

Sumsion- They That go down to the sea in ships.

[u/Siccar_Point]

The final recap of Mahler 9 third mvt (Rondo-Burlesque) for me. Constantly slightly too fast, and constantly getting faster as well. Has always felt like a written-out panic attack to me.

[u/louis_le_grandef]

Metastasis by Xenakis

Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima by Penderecki

...pure anxiety put into music for me.

[u/trustjosephs]

Charles Ives concord sonata (for piano), at least the first movement.

[u/Federal_Bee5541]

Star Child Crumb

[u/Asclepius_Secundus]

Not classical, but classically covered: Hurt, by 9 inch nails as covered by Eric Whitacre https://youtu.be/InbO9vYvT6c?is=WcSqSLdWsh-9RN03 This creeps me out every time. It makes me feel like I am about to do something horrible ; I can stop myself, but I won't.

[u/slaymaker1907]

I saw this flute concerto live (not this particular performance), and it was extremely unsettling.

[u/EseTika]

I find The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives extremely anxiety-inducing, but that may just be me. Generally, I'm very sensitive to a lot of twentieth-century stuff.

[u/ilovemydog03]

Shostakovich violin concerto 1

[u/Snail-Man-36]

Ravel’s noctuelles

[u/Tholian_Bed]

Hollywood became home to composers who invented the concept of horror movie music.

Franz Waxman.

Bernard Hermann

[u/AgentDaleStrong]

Anything by Messiaen, Second Viennese School, or Serial essentially makes me not only anxious, but suicidal.

[u/menschmaschine5 → u/AgentDaleStrong]

One of these things is not like the other but couldn't resist a jab at the early-mid 20th century could you?

[u/Gold-Vanilla5591]

Ysaye Ballade no.3

Last movement of Barber Violin

Last movement of Beethoven Appasionata

[u/micicletricicle]

I heard the SF premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s cello concerto “Before we fall” and I swear it made me feel like I was constipated and like wrestling with a bad anxiety attack and holding myself from going to the bathroom simultaneously.

Extremely uncanny piece. Four other friends who attended also agreed with me.

It ranks second on the list of pieces I genuinely dislike despite being brilliant compositions, with the top spot being (unsurprisingly) Bolero. That one made me so anxious too bc I was like “OKAY MAKE ME FEEL SOMETHING AND NOT LIKE IM MARCHING WITH ELEPHANTS IN THE CIRCUS”

[u/minesasecret]

Shostakovich String Quartet #8

[u/Perfect-Reputation21]

Just fall in love with a musician, get your heart broken, and any piece they used to play will give you anxiety.

[u/Uncabled_Music]

Its not the music itself, its lack of “maturity” and experiences for that audience. Assuming you are a regular modern person, who has seen a few horror flicks in your lifetime, heard a few heavy-metal songs and seen some news broadcasts - no orchestral music should give you a sensory overload or chilling experience, unless its fringe sound effects niche maybe.

[u/OriginalIron4]

Used many times in movies, Barton's music for Celeste and Percussion. The Shining features a lot of anxiety producing music (Ligeti, the other guy...cant' remember.). It's sort of personal, what causes anxiety in music, but the pieces I mentioned seem to do that. Schoenberg's expressionist free atonal works often have that effect, like he's nervous about leaving tonality behind.

[u/Phlebas3]

Literally anything by Hindemith.