# A symphony to trip to?



## eightsimple

i'm looking for symphonies to listen to while having an lsd-trip. i don't believe i'm the only one who listens to this kind of music while tripping, but i just couldn't find any advice anywhere else.

for many years i've been listening to all genres of classical music, my favourite being solo piano music, but always somehow neglecting symphonies. however, lately i've discovered that a symphony is the most perfect thing to trip to, mainly because a symphony is like a trip itself in some way - there's always this feeling like you're going somewhere along with the music, making some progress, overcoming problems, coming to a conclusion in the end. i love bach's fugues more than anything else, but they don't work like that at all, actually they are a nightmare to listen to while tripping. 

but then not all of the symphonies are perfect either, the most famous ever beethoven's ninth, for instance, is too, what's the word, disjunct? and there is too much going on intellectually, while it is essential in this state to "let go" and embrace the emotional side of music. another bad example - dvorak's ninth. on the other hand, mauler's ninth, especially the final movement, is pure bliss. 
i understand the criteria is very very vague. but maybe someone still will be able to help me out. 

ps. i really hope this question will not make anyone feel uncomfortable, and i want to make it clear that i want to discuss music, not drugs.


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## Krisena

Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen.

Have fun.


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## Sid James

Krisena said:


> Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen.
> 
> Have fun.


Seconded. I thought of that before opening this thread.

Boulez will only conduct the lyrical sections, he avoids the more rowdy passionate bits, which he calls 'brothel music.'

So eightsimple, apart from taking certain substances when listening to this work, you might like to have someone there with you to...um...well, you know (and the symphony is over an hour, about 70-80 minutes, so you've got plenty of time to 'trip' ...and maybe do other things).


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## Olias

Berlioz Symphony Fantastique.


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## Sid James

Olias said:


> Berlioz Symphony Fantastique.


You need opium for that, not LSD. You have to be authentic in your tripping, 'period' or 'historically appropriate' drugs only! :lol:


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## millionrainbows

Oh, _definitely, definitely_ the *Holidays Symphony* by *Charles Ives.* You'll be hallucinating Civil-War ghosts before it's over. The Bernstein version. Then, the T*hree Places In New England*, the Tilson-Thomas BSO version.


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## Sid James

millionrainbows said:


> ...
> View attachment 6671


Looks like Lenny might be 'tripping' on something there actually. Well music is like a drug, and he had tendency to do orgasms on the podium, so...


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## neoshredder

If you're tripping, you probably want music to put you in a positive state of mind. Debussy I'm thinking would put you in a euphoric mood. And Vivaldi's concertos are always good but maybe not long enough. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker would be trippy.  See Fantasia for that. Dvorak's New World Symphony is amazing. Stravinsky Firebird Suite, Symphony 6 from Beethoven... Edit and how could I forget 2001 Space Odyssey. Great movie to trip to.


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## Couchie

You need something that will last the duration of the fairly lengthy LSD trip... WAGNER BABY.


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## millionrainbows

Actually, I see some inherent difficulties in using symphonic music for tripping, for various reasons. The brain naturally responds to repetition while in altered states, improving focus and concentration, hence the shamanistic music of Morocco, and the popularity of Indian raga music in the 1960s. The Grateful Dead droned on & on in the same key, and were not known for modulations or frequent changes of key.

Also, most Western tonal music is 'narrative' in nature, not in a literal 'storytelling' sense, but more generally because it 'develops' linearly in time, like a narrative. Can a tripping brain be bothered to follow a narrative development over time, or is it happier to stay completely "in the moment?" This is worth consideration. Perhaps a more vertically-oriented harmonic music would be better.

Unlike trance musics or minimalism, which are 'static backgrounds' by comparison, any type of strong melodic content or especially voice will be seen as 'foreground' (as in subject painting of human figures), which also automatically evokes 'narrative' associations. Symphonic music is suited for tripping in this regard, as it is non-vocal instrumental music.

Here would be my preferred choices for tripping (on mushrooms rather than LSD, preferably), rather than symphonic works:


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## Crudblud

Krisena said:


> Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen.
> 
> Have fun.


Yeah, and make sure to get Antoni Wit's recording on Naxos. Turangalila has never been that good before or since.


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## elgar's ghost

Good Vibrations: Skryabin's 3rd (The Divine Poem), Mahler's 3rd, Bruckner's 8th and 9th.

Crawling up the wall: any of Schnittke's later ones, Shostakovich's 14th, Gorecki's 3rd.


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## Sid James

elgars ghost said:


> Good Vibrations:...Bruckner's ... 9th.
> 
> Crawling up the wall: ...Shostakovich's 14th, Gorecki's 3rd.


Man they are DEPRESSSING AS HELL! Waddya wanna do, make the guy OD & make him suicidal? Man these are dangerous recommendations in this context! :lol: The potential is lethal.

As for Bruckner 8, its not as depressing for me as #9, but not exactly happy go lucky either.
Can't comment on the others though, don't know 'em.


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## joen_cph

(sorry, posted by mistake)


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## eightsimple

thank you everyone, i'll be checking out everything that's been recommended

about the "depressing" thing versus "a positive" state of mind: of course it will be different for everyone, but as i don't see "sad" or "depressing" music as a bad thing sober, the same way i feel fine listening to it during a trip. sadness and beauty go together very often in art. one of my best trips was when i listened to henryk gorecki's third symphony, i felt moved and touched in a very profound way. later, though, i felt a rush of guilt when i discovered what it was about, but that's something else.



millionrainbows said:


> Also, most Western tonal music is 'narrative' in nature, not in a literal 'storytelling' sense, but more generally because it 'develops' linearly in time, like a narrative. Can a tripping brain be bothered to follow a narrative development over time, or is it happier to stay completely "in the moment?"


again, i suppose it's not necessarily true for everyone, but for me personally that's exactly why a symphony is perfect for a trip. in this state i not only hear what is going on in this exact moment, but i see _why_ it's going on, i can hear it "retrospectively". the music that is generally considered "trippy" makes me feel rather bored after a few minutes, i long for this movement and "narrative".


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## Jem

Watch 'Koyaanisqatsi' with a score by Phillip Glass. It's a trip in itself.


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## Ravndal

Sid James said:


> Man they are DEPRESSSING AS HELL! Waddya wanna do, make the guy OD & make him suicidal? Man these are dangerous recommendations in this context! :lol: The potential is lethal.
> 
> As for Bruckner 8, its not as depressing for me as #9, but not exactly happy go lucky either.
> Can't comment on the others though, don't know 'em.


Haha, i agree. But as milionrainbow said about repetition, i think it would be interesting to hear gorecki's 3rd under the influence. just think of the depths he will explore.

I would recommend to check out "The Versailles Sessions" By Murcof. Pure genious stuff .¨¨



> The Versailles Sessions was written to accompany the annual festival of sound, light and water at the Chateau de Versailles. Specially recorded 17th century baroque instruments including harpsichord, viola da gamba and flute are the raw materials for Murcof's six compositions. Welcome to Versailles begins with crashes and the scraping of strings. After a succession of flute notes that stretch out over a cavernous space measured out by clanking sounds, drones ratchet up the tension.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/x6f9


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## millionrainbows

Jem said:


> Watch 'Koyaanisqatsi' with a score by Phillip Glass. It's a trip in itself.


Yes, that whole trilogy is something else. It's what could completely validate Philip Glass for many listeners. The Tibetans, and Leary, talk about states of mind, like floors on an elevator, which you can get "stuck" on. They call these "bardos," and listening to different types of music might influence which "floor" one is let-out on.


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## elgar's ghost

Sid James said:


> Man they are DEPRESSSING AS HELL! Waddya wanna do, make the guy OD & make him suicidal? Man these are dangerous recommendations in this context! :lol: The potential is lethal.
> 
> As for Bruckner 8, its not as depressing for me as #9, but not exactly happy go lucky either.
> Can't comment on the others though, don't know 'em.


Hi Sid - with the Skryabin, Mahler and Bruckner I was thinking more on the lines of Pink Floyd blasting into the unknown with 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun' rather than the cast from 'Hair' poncing around with a few tambourines singing 'Aquarius' (Let The Sunshine in)'! I agree that the 4th movement from Mahler 3 is a wee bit po-faced but surely you don't think that the far out 'bim bam' fifth movement is depressing?! And the finale is a mind blower! All three are epic 'reaching for the stars' space-rock, man... 

I chose those particular ones because I think they aspire to have transcendent and cosmic qualities but obviously I couldn't have chosen Mahler's 6th or Bruckner's 7th as they are, to me, far more introspective and downbeat and could well lead to the bad trips tent or worse (hence my selections for 'crawling up the wall'.


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## Ukko

If you don't mind being scared s___less... Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra (as close as he got to a symphony) took me on a trip - and I'd only had a few tokes of Maryjane. The Boulez/NYPO or Fricksay/RIAS have the strongest hooks I know of.


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## mleghorn

Not that I know what it's like to trip, but I suggest colorful orchestral music, e.g. Berlioz Damnation of Faust (with chorus and soloists, since it's a concert opera). How about a decent recording of Mahler's 8th?

Lately I've really been into The Planets. Having worked on my own synthesizer arrangement for the past year might have something to do with that  I like to think that my version of The Planets would fit the bill (I won't provide a direct link here, but you can google it). One music critic described it as "Somewhere between horrific & entirely, weirdly awesome".


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## DeepR

Jem said:


> Watch 'Koyaanisqatsi' with a score by Phillip Glass. It's a trip in itself.


For your information: http://www.talkclassical.com/19932-samsara-new-film-similar.html


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## Morgante

Beethoven.


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## BeatOven

Krisena said:


> Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen.
> 
> Have fun.


Listening to this sober is a trip.

Otherwise, i am not "experienced" but i have done some things similar. I have found that you can find a way to be overtaken by most works by good composers under the influence. Nothing against any composer too by saying outside forces or substances make thier music more enjoyable. But i found Beethoven's 8th symphony to be very visual and can have more too offer then people think. I know you said you are already familiar with a lot of piano music but on the slight chance you missed these masterpieces i would strongly suggest the last four beethoven piano sonatas. Also ill name a few more:Serenade for Strings in C, Swan Lake, Nutcraker, and Sleeping Beauty suites, and the first two movements of Symphony No. 1 in G minor by Tchaikovsky; any Mozart Opera with emphasis on Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Fiagro, and The Magic Flute; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Piano Concerto No.4, Symphony No. 7 the first two movements, BRAHMS Violin Concerto and BRAHMS Violin Concerto.

Be safe


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## Sid James

elgars ghost said:


> ...
> I chose those particular ones because I think they aspire to have transcendent and cosmic qualities but obviously I couldn't have chosen Mahler's 6th or Bruckner's 7th as they are, to me, far more introspective and downbeat and could well lead to the bad trips tent or worse (hence my selections for 'crawling up the wall'.


Yeah well I see what you mean now. Actually have been listening to a very SSSSSSLLLOOOWWW recording of Bruckner's 4th. Slow compared to what I have known in the past (other recordings of it), anyway. Its like I am almost 'crawling up the wall' waiting an eternity for the next bloody note to come. Its like its constipated or something . & its not Celibidache, but a local Aussie recording I'd not heard before. Pretty wierd stuff, almost a 'trip' in itself, since I am more used to Bruckner in standard, comparatively quicker tempos.


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## Andreas

I have no experience with LSD other than by second hand through some Beatles albums. So I wouldn't know whether Strauss' Alpine Symphony or Orff's Carmina Burana would work, but I'll suggest them anyway.


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## techniquest

I would think that Strauss' Alpine Symphony would be excellent material. If you want to go for something a little more off-the-wall how about Hovhaness 11th 'All men are Brothers', Kancheli's 4th 'Michelangelo', or Nielsen's 6th 'Sinfonia Semplice' 
By the way, the Turangulila on Naxos is absolutely the one to have, as mentioned above, but I'm not sure I'd want to trip on it (if I did that sort of thing)


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## Ravndal

A friend of mine tripped to Debussy's "Le Mar". He said that impressionistic music works perfectly, it's 'dreamy' and very trippy in itself. He called it an euphoric experience


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## bigshot

Fiedler's Gaetie Parisienne

Philip Glass is a bad trip.


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## neoshredder

What about JS Bach? That is if you want a religious experience while tripping.


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## elgar's ghost

Ravndal said:


> A friend of mine tripped to Debussy's "Le Mar". He said that impressionistic music works perfectly, it's 'dreamy' and very trippy in itself. He called it an euphoric experience


Wouldn't it have been more appropriate for your friend to have got completely tanked up on Absinthe instead?


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## Ravndal

Why so?


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## DeepR

Not a symphony but I have to mention it anyway: Michael Stearns - Planetary Unfolding 
Electronic music made almost entirely with a big modular synthesizer.
Listen in bed, with headphones. I have no doubt it's going to be the greatest positive trip you will ever have. 
I would almost experiment with drugs just to find out what's it like to listen to this while under influence.


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## elgar's ghost

Ravndal said:


> Why so?


It was the intoxicant of choice for many artistic Parisians (and others) in Debussy's day. The British smart-set of the time seemed to prefer to get bombed on opiates instead.


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## Ravndal

elgars ghost said:


> It was the intoxicant of choice for many artistic Parisians (and others) in Debussy's day. The British smart-set of the time seemed to prefer to get bombed on opiates instead.


Ah, yes indeed! I heard about that. Too bad the hallucinogenic substances you could find in absinthe, is long gone.


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## eightsimple

so yesterday i had the most intense trip i've ever had while listening to gorecki's third. i had a few more symphonies on my ipod but nothing i had could possible compare to the intensity i experienced, so i didn't listen to anything else after that. 
so i suppose i will be searching for something similarly dramatic next time - which i'm not sure i will be able to find though, gorecki's third is pretty much the most dramatic piece of music i know. (i'm not saying it's the "best" or anything like that, but really, the way it's building up...)


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## techniquest

> so yesterday i had the most intense trip i've ever had while listening to gorecki's third.


I dare you to try the same thing while listening to his 2nd!


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## Ravndal

eightsimple said:


> so yesterday i had the most intense trip i've ever had while listening to gorecki's third. i had a few more symphonies on my ipod but nothing i had could possible compare to the intensity i experienced, so i didn't listen to anything else after that.
> so i suppose i will be searching for something similarly dramatic next time - which i'm not sure i will be able to find though, gorecki's third is pretty much the most dramatic piece of music i know. (i'm not saying it's the "best" or anything like that, but really, the way it's building up...)


I agree with you. It's my favourite symphony. Did you trip alone?


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## eightsimple

Ravndal said:


> I agree with you. It's my favourite symphony. Did you trip alone?


not really. i went to the sea-side with a close friend; we didn't even talk at all, but i prefer it that way, just to be safe.


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## Frasier

neoshredder said:


> If you're tripping, you probably want music to put you in a positive state of mind. Debussy I'm thinking would put you in a euphoric mood. And Vivaldi's concertos are always good but maybe not long enough. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker would be trippy.  See Fantasia for that. Dvorak's New World Symphony is amazing. Stravinsky Firebird Suite, Symphony 6 from Beethoven... Edit and how could I forget 2001 Space Odyssey. Great movie to trip to.


Got it in one. Debussy. He knew what was what. Not just that his music is good if you want a pleasant trip but you'll find he knew all about these worlds beyond normal consciousness. He understood mystical experience (if "understood" is the right word - probably better "empathised with") His music will make sense under those conditions. The Nocturnes, Iberia, Jeux... Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe - the entire ballet. Formal symphonic music can seem awfully dull by comparison, possibly because it's *too* formal and part of the world of normal consciousness. Be prepared that you might think differently about "normal" music when you come down/out/back. But you'll certainly know that Debussy knew (though he probably got there with opium and his talent for plumbing his depths for musical imagery).

Good luck. Wish you bests!


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## Couchie

Another good one could be Scriabin, either his_ Symphony no. 2_ or _Poem of Ecstasy_. Although the LSD might become superfluous.


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## drpraetorus

Try Rachmaninof The Isle of the Dead. 
Shaharazade by Rimsky-Korsakov
Passacaglia and fugue in C minor by Bach
The Flying Dutchman Overture by Wagner
Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin by Wagner
Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde by Wagner
Prelude to Parsifal by Wagner
Siegfrieds Funeral March and Brunhildas Immolation from Gotterdamerung by Wagner
Hary Janos suite by Kodaly
Dies Irae from Requiem by Verdi
Bolero by Ravel
Adagio for Strings by Barber
Great G minor Prelude and fugue by Bach
Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Talis by Vaughn Williams
Tapiola by Sibelius
Poem of Exstacy by Scriabin
Psycho soundtrack by Bernard Herman
Dance Macabre by Saint-Saens
Night on Bald Mountain by Mousorgsky
Dance of the Seven Veils by Strauss.

That should keep you tripping for some time. It helps to know what the music is about. Direct the hallucinations as it were. Let us know how it turns out.


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## RoBo

I've never done LSD or shrooms or anything, but I can tell you the best listenings I've ever had while high (or in general). These times were when I was literally seeing the music as shapes, colors, pictures and textures rather than as instruments being played. The best listening I've ever had was the first time I listened to the Rite of Spring. That piece while you're high is indescribable. It is a MUST. I also recommend The Planets start to finish because everything is so atmospheric and spatial. It's very easy to imagine yourself wandering through a giant, sparkling ice cave during Neptune. Also, one of my favorite moments in music PERIOD is when Saturn is building up slowly and surely, just like the inevitability of death creeping up on you. If you're anything like me, The Planets are a must. I'd also recommend Toru Takemitsu's Requiem for Strings as well as his piece for percussion ensemble and orchestra, "From Me Flows What You Call Time". Again, wonderfully spatial pieces with a Japanese influence that I love. I'll leave you with an actual symphony, since neither of those were true symphonies. Shostakovich 7 - Leningrad. A symphony that will leave you with a pile of poop in your pants by the end, it's so awesome. Oh, and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra is good too. By the way I'm new here. Happy tripping!!!


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## Richannes Wrahms

Symphonies:
Rautavaara - Symphony No.7, Symphony No.8 'The Journey'
Sibelius - Symphony No.5, Symphony No.4
Dutilleux - Symphony No.1, Symphony No.2 'Le double' 
Aho - Symphony No.9, for trombone and orchestra; Symphony No. 14 'Rituals'; Symphony No.15
Borodin - Symphony No.1 (which could be called "Prélude à La mer, trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre")
Hindemith - Symphony: Mathis der Maler

Orchestral non-Symphonies:
Ligeti - Atmosphères, Lontano 
Bartók - Bluebeard's Castle; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; The Wooden Prince
Penderecki - Polymorphia, Fluorescences, Kosmogonia
Sibelius - Tapiola 
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloé (this one is quite a good recording 



) 
Rautavaara - Double Bass concerto 'Angel of Dusk'
Rimsky-Korsakov - Antar, The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya
Wagner - The Ring Without Words, Parsifal 
Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande


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## HaydnBearstheClock

How about a trip with the Father of the symphony? (ok, historically disputed, but still - no Haydn, no great symphonies):

Symphony No. 6, then symphony No. 94, then 45, then 44, then 82, 85, then 52, 99 and 104 at the end. You can't go wrong .

Also add in Mozart's 40th and Beethoven's 2nd and 4th (a bit more non-standard, plus they're great symphonies).

And let's not forget about Michael Haydn - I really enjoy his symphony no. 29 in D minor:


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## Cosmos

Mahler's second or eight


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