Thread: A symphony to trip to?

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.

Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messiaen.

Have fun.

Originally Posted by Krisena

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).

Berlioz Symphony Fantastique.

Originally Posted by Olias

Berlioz Symphony Fantastique.

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

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 Three Places In New England, the Tilson-Thomas BSO version.

img.Ives3PlacesDG-BPO109.jpgimg.IvesHolidaysBernstei086.jpg

Originally Posted by millionrainbows

...img.IvesHolidaysBernstei086.jpg

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...

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.

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

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:

img.ShankarMenuhinMeetsS928.jpgimg.RileyARainbowinCurved046.jpgimg.Glassworks778.jpg

Originally Posted by Krisena

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.

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.

Originally Posted by elgars ghost

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! 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.

(sorry, posted by mistake)

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.

Originally Posted by millionrainbows

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".