how do I find good orchestral music?

Videogames and movies have great orchestral stuff. I mean two steps from hell make some of the best stuff and the skyrim theme is like the coolest thing ever. But whenever I search "orchestra" I always end up with boring(because I am tired of clicking links only to hear the same old stuff) classical music. I need a way to find sick orchestral music that is not me hearing some from a movie, game or tv show and having to google for it.

Anybody know anything that could help?

If you don't want classical, have you tried searching for "Soundtrack" or "OST" on something like Amazon instead?

@wacomole: yes I have, it is just that I would like to find a group who are just making original work. Soundtracks and Ost's definitely hit the spot for the kind of music I am looking for but they are made for something, a movie or something. I guess the hipster or whatever in me wants to enjoy music made just to be music.

btw, can I ask what you avatar is? it is kinda creeping me out...

http://m.youtube.com/user/OfficialVSQ

Check out Owen Pallett. Not quite orchestral, because it's one dude with a violin. Dude's a fucking wizard, though.

I'd suggest going around YouTube looking for stuff, and once you find it check out related works. Then search for the composer or group and see what other works they've done and what other composers or groups are like them.

You can start with this piece of awesome that someone (I believe it was the fellow with the Avatar avatar) posted on these boards:

Or you know, just listen to good orchestral music like the "boring classical" you mentioned.

Look up "Two Steps From Hell" on youtube or on Google.

You're welcome.

Halo, BSG, Hans Zimmer.

@super2j: Listen to a classical radio station? I really enjoy WRR 101.1 in Dallas. You can listen online, and you can even see a live list of what songs have been played. It's great for hearing songs and then finding out more about them. :)

And most music is just classical music unattached to certain things. But it's a nice mix.

http://www.wrr101.com/

I love two steps from hell and that is why I listened to it to death, need something different. Granted Black Blade and archangel both still haven't gotten old.

I call it boring only because I have heard flight of the bumble bee too many times in my life already. But in every other way, classical music is amazing, there is a reason I like orchestral music.

Gonna pimp myself here in addition offering advice for finding more.

http://www.hamsteralliance.com/page/hamster-alliance-radio.aspx

Check out: 6. The Collapse, 14. Active Grid and 23. The Reapers, for starters. There's orchestral stuff in pretty much everything I do, with those ones being almost purely orchestral.

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As for finding more, Last.fm might be your best tool. For instance, they have a list of artists similar to Two Steps From Hell: http://www.last.fm/music/Two+Steps+from+Hell/+Similar

Which, you can see lists stuff like audiomachine, immediate music, e.s. posthumus, and others.

They also have a tagging system: http://www.last.fm/tag/symphonic

Some other tags to try would be: composer, orchestral, film score, film music, cinematic, soundtrack, and contemporary classical.

@hamst3r: oooh, I am really liking the small part of "the collapse" that I heard. It is scratching that itch. Can't wait to listen to the whole thing.

Max Richter and Johann Johannsson are two modern orchestral composers I really enjoy. They both lean towards the minimal though; you might find them boring.

Walt Ribeiro does lots of orchestral covers for songs. One of my favorites is his cover of Dr. Wily's theme.

As for listening for more in tones of Two Steps from Hell and Immediate Music, @hamst3r's suggestion using Last.fm would be your best bet. I use the tag functions all the time looking up specific styles.

Sometimes I click a random link from Wikipedia pages like this and see where it leads me.

It's pretty good to check a film or game's composer and see if they have their own stuff too. There are also shows like the Top Score podcast that helps with that. That's how I found out that Jeremy Soule is writing and recording his first symphony! Speaking of which, sites like Kickstarter and Bandcamp has a lot of interesting classical projects too.

You can try listening to boring ol' classical too! There's a lot of less known composers from decades/centuries ago who wrote some pretty cool stuff. Even Gregorian chants can be pretty mindblowing.

@super2j: I'm also in a similar boat, I hear stuff like this and enjoy it and could do with what would essentially be a spotify playlist of all the classic beethoven and mozart and similar legendary pieces of music along with modern things like a Jeremy soule soundtrack or Hans Zimmer. Surely someone out there has a link to a playlist like this?

Songs I'd also recommend OP: Two Steps From Hell: Science, Hans Zimmer: Eptesicus.

If you like Two Steps From Hell check out Immediate Music.

I think you'll find it difficult to find orchestral stuff that doesn't fall into either the "boring classical" or soundtracks and stuff, because orchestras are massive. Getting one together for something out of the ordinary is difficult because you'd need to find that number of people interested in doing it, or you need to be sure it makes economic sense (or you need funding from somewhere to do something different).

You'll probably find it easier to look for string quartets and stuff. There's a lot more scope for quartets to do something out of the ordinary, and if you're interested in soundtracks and not in classical, you won't be losing much as most soundtracks don't normally utilise the full range of an orchestra anyway. I only really know of the Kronos Quartet (of Requiem for a Dream fame) and the Belanescu Quartet, who do a lot of stuff but you might find their album of Kraftwerk Covers fun.

I'd probably recommend you to check out some mid-to-late 1900's minimalist classical music, such as Philip Glass and John Adams, since that seems to have been really influential to many video game composers.

Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi may be a decent place to start.

Samuel Barber may also be to your liking, considering how prevalent his Adagio for Strings has become, also being a major inspiration for a lot of film and game music.

Youtube John Williams. You might be familiar with his work. Maybe. Just a hunch.

Oh man, how did you know I would know his work, are you like psychic?

if you want to find good orchestral music you ought to learn something about the history of western music first. its like asking how do i find good guitar music? do you want neil young or the sex pistols or wes montgomery or son house? you need some context to really understand whats going on.

you could check out the baroque or the romantic or the impressionists or atonal/serial or whatever. in every style there are individuals who did amazing things.

Valuable advice, orchestral arrangements are just as subjective as any other musical genre, it's more about the characteristics of the individual piece than the genre. It's much easier to identify what you like and find more of it when you understand what it is and what influences it draws from.