# Top Dreamy/Mind Trip Classical Pieces



## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

To make it clear which eras I'm interested in. To me, Impressionism and some obscure tonal music of the last 50 years would fit this. Not that LSD is needed but it seemed to bring out the best in imagination. Anyways pick your favorite selections when looking for this style. Yes maybe some of the Romantic composers could fit to. Not sure if this helps but some of the bands that fit these terms for me in rock include The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, the Zombies, The Pretty Things, and of course early 80's Tangerine Dream.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Satie's Trois Gymnopèdies would probably be the most obvious.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Yeah great choice. Satie definitely has that ambient sound to it.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Probably Tangerine Dream


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

sorabji - gulistan






and reich's piano phase, though is not exactly dreamy


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## Webernite (Sep 4, 2010)

Scriabin. Maybe some Schumann like the _Humoreske_.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Cnote11 said:


> Probably Tangerine Dream


Yeah I know that already. I'm looking for some classical composers that are similar. Somehow I get the feeling you don't like me. Maybe it was the comments about Rap.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

How about Dream Images from Book I of George Crumb's _Makrokosmos_? There's something really dreamy - Chopin makes an _impromptu_ appearance, as well!


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Don't care for the minimalism sound. Not relaxing at all imo.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I think I recommended this composer to you before. Try this, it's very dreamy and relaxing.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

neoshredder said:


> Yeah I know that already. I'm looking for some classical composers that are similar. Somehow I get the feeling you don't like me. Maybe it was the comments about Rap.


Nope, I have no objection to what you said about rap music. It is your personal preference after all. I enjoy what you contribute to the forum for your information. The inspiration behind my post was your mentioning of Tangerine Dream multiple times in the Ambient thread, which I found quite amusing. (In a good way)


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)




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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Tristan und Isolde


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Maybe try *Alla Pavlova *- her things are on Naxos, her symphonies a bit like new age Rachmaninov, if that makes any sense. Talking of living composers, she's what I can think of now.

But cancelling out minimalism here, neoshredder, is quite a hurdle, as it sounds like what you want is that (but it's obviously not).

Anyway, some kind of dreamy or spacy vibes I find in these older things -

*Janacek* - _In the Mist_ for solo piano

*Martinu *- his slow movements do have repetition (ostinatos), not as repetitive is "real" minimalism. One that comes to mind is the middle movement of _Sinfonietta La Jolla_.

*Jehan Alain* - Have been getting into his organ music, a lot of which is low key, low level activity, atmospheric and using things like Asian harmonies. Try his Monodie, which for me is packed with many kind of subterranean "events," if one can call them that, but very short (under 3 minutes).


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Cnote11 said:


> Nope, I have no objection to what you said about rap music. It is your personal preference after all. I enjoy what you contribute to the forum for your information. The inspiration behind my post was your mentioning of Tangerine Dream multiple times in the Ambient thread, which I found quite amusing. (In a good way)


Fair enough. I can't take a joke. This will be the last thread I mention that name in though as I know I've mentioned that name too many times. I don't want to follow the minimalism style. lol


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

*Ligeti:* Lux Aeterna, Atmosphères, Ramifications and all that micropolyphonic stuff he did in the sixties.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Try some Takemitsu.


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## SottoVoce (Jul 29, 2011)

Ravel's Miroirs, incredibly lucid stuff.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Should've made it more clear. Composers most similar to Debussy. Almost every era has dreamy music that isn't similar to the way Debussy uses it. Nonetheless, I think I got enough selections. Wonder if there is any neo-impressionism composers.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

neoshredder said:


> Should've made it more clear. Composers most similar to Debussy. Almost every era has dreamy music that isn't similar to the way Debussy uses it.


well, if you're searching for composers similar to debussy:

charles griffes





frederick delius





by the way, about minimalism, if you listen to pieces like Adam and Eve of Bunita Marcus you could change your mind because i think that probably it's exactly what you're looking for.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Surprised no one chose Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker. Maybe too obvious and overplayed but it fits it imo.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin could be a nightmarish trippy piece.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

ORCHESTRAL:

Claude Debussy ~ 
Trois Nocturnes (orchestral); I. Nuages (clouds) / III.Sirènes









Charles Ives ~ 
The Unanswered Question




The Pond





John Adams ~ Violin Concerto, II. Chaconne 'Body through which the dream flows' (violin, orchestra, including some synthesizer sounds.)





Frederic Rzewski ~ Scratch Symphony





Though it is Pachelbel's Canon, you might want to check out Brian Eno's 'deconstructed' set of three variations, Electro-acoustic ambient - from the man who invented ambient with his "Music for Airports" and coined the phrase 
Brian Eno ~ Three Variations on the Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel
1. Fullness of Wind; II. French Catalogues; III. Brutal Ardor. 













PIANO PIECES:

Claude Debussy ~ Preludes, book I, No. 6 (piano) 'des pas sur la niege' (footsteps in the snow)





Erik Satie ~ Trois Gymnopedies





John Cage ~
Dream




In A Landscape





David Lang ~ Wed


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

Carlo Domeniconi-Koyunbaba


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

It's literally dreamy...

Nacht und Traume (Night and Dreams)


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Philip said:


> Carlo Domeniconi-Koyunbaba


I love that piece! It's probably my favourite piece of classical guitar music of all time!


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

koyunbaba reminds me of this beautiful rendition of the Danza del fuego


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Prolly not meant to be but dreamy to me are the Shostakovich violin concertos.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

The Adagio from Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 2, and the *Lake of Tears* movement from his _Bluebeard's Castle_ Opera.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)




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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

I don't know if this changes any of the suggestions but I guess another word that would describe what I'm looking for is atmospheric. Any suggestions that haven't been mentioned already?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I second Art Rock's recommendation for Takemitsu. http://www.amazon.com/Toru-Takemitsu-flows-Twilight-Requiem/dp/B0000029WL I think you'll find several of the pieces on the Debussy set you recently ordered will fit the bill.

There are more violent atmospheric pieces to enjoy as well. Lutoslawski's 2nd symphony for example. The 1st movt is the build up to the storm, and the 2nd unleashes the fury. It's like a tornado laced with hordes of insects. Great fun!


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## humanbean (Mar 5, 2011)

Dreamy you say? Renaissance choral music is the best place to go for that, especially Palestrina, Tomas Luis de Victoria, and Orlande de Lassus. For trippy, go for Medieval or Medieval-Renaissance composers, such as Machaut, Solage, Dufay.

This has to be one of my favorites by Palestrina, and certainly meets the definition of "dreamy." The harmony in the first 30 seconds says it all.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Scriabin's sonatas and Ravel's "Daphnis..." and "Gaspard..." come to my mind. Perhaps late Sibelius as well? (5th, 6th, 7th; "Nightride and Sunrise", "Tapiola".)


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## Iforgotmypassword (May 16, 2011)




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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

neoshredder said:


> I don't know if this changes any of the suggestions but I guess another word that would describe what I'm looking for is atmospheric. Any suggestions that haven't been mentioned already?


Already been mentioned, but you can't go past this when it comes to dreamy/mind trip/atmospheric music:


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Sibelius ; Black Swan of Tuonela very atmospheric. in fact the whole of the Lemminkäinen Suite is a trip for me. ( My friends refer to it as the Leonard Cohan suite, the rotters!)


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