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Classical music with deep bass

B

Barbapapa

pfm Member
Having some new kit (amp, headphones), I'm testing the performance in the bass register, just for fun. I've listened to
- Schubert, 8th Symphony
- Rachmaninov, 2nd Piano concerto.
Both having a notable bass-heavy opening.
Of course lots of symphonic material has bass presence, but I'm specifically looking for music that has some noteworthy bass lines or really deep notes. But any suggestions are welcome; for example I just listened to Mozart, 40th Symphony, first movement, which in the development has some nice bass lines in the celli.

Any other suggestions?
 
Saint-Saens 3rd symphony.

Low bass, loud in the finale, subtly underpinning the strings in the slow movement.
 
+1 for Saint-Saens Symphony #3 (particularly the Telarc recording of Philadelphia Orchestra/Ormandy)

Another is also a Telarc release - Tchaikowsky's "1812 Overture" (Cincinatti Symphony Orchestra/Kunzel)

The latter has some serious LF content from "digital cannon" (sic)
 
The preludes to all three acts of Wagner's opera Siegfried. Great low brass in the first two in particular.

If you like great bass singers, try Kurt Moll in the (sort of) aria "Titurel, der fromme Held" from Wagner's Parsifal.
 
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Holst's Planets - organ glissandos in Mars, and the gorgeous pedals at the end of Saturn. Charles Dutoit & Orchestre Symphonique d'Montreal on Decca.
 
Bach - Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor BWV 582
(PS Great footwork)
 
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- Opening organ note on Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. Hard to hear on some recordings.
- Ravel's piano concerto in G has a cadenza in the opening movement where the lowest note on the piano is hit 24 times in quick succession. His concerto for the left hand opens with a prolonged growl on the contrabassoon.

EDIT: Barrymagrec beat me to the Strauss.
 
Thanks, great recommendations! I'm listening to those I've got lying around, will try to track down the others. Frankly I never realised that Also sprach Zarathustra did have a organ ostinato!
 
Not mentioned so far - Respighi Pines of Rome is wonderfully gaudy and enjoyable, full-range music with plenty of low-end heft from its utterly immense orchestral requirement.
 
not sure if this qualifies but the film score interstellar has the most amazing piano and organ music on it and goes pretty deep
 
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