"Dark" Pieces

[tylerhink]

Does anyone know any hard "dark" classical  pieces similar to Rachmaninoff's Prelude in c# minor?

THanks

[pianowolfi]

Rach's Prelude f minor op32 no 6:

And of course this one:

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hard enough?

[thierry13]

Rach's Prelude f minor op32 no 6:

Gosh I had forgotten this video! I was allways watching it years ago! Thank you so much, it's sooooooo good! 

[vuvais]

FINALLY! I found this topic.

Can you give suggestions for dark, treacherous, gloomy pieces (and sad) with no modulations in major keys. Pure minor (not necessarily fast).

Thanks.

[conforza]

I think most advanced and even intermediate pieces tend to modulate but Chopin's piano sonatas are pretty devoid of happiness as is his Wiosna, several nocturnes, Etude Op. 25 No. 7, and Etude in F Minor, Op. posth. "Méthode des Méthodes". Debussy's pour le piano: Prelude is a bit furious and dark in my opinion. Every time I listen to Liszt's Valse-Impromptu I get very sad but I don't know if that's just me. Schubert's Standchen is also quite sad and dark. Mendelssohn's "The Venetian Gondola" is worth taking a look at andnd, of course, Mozart's Fantasy in D minor. Mussorgsky has several very dark pieces in Pictures at an Exhibition like The Hut on Fowl's Legs also called The Hut of Baba Yaga I believe. Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit and Pavane Pour Un Infante Defunte among others are terribly morbid. Satie's Gnossiennes have very doubtfully ever made any laugh or smile. Scharwenka, although it is hard to come by his work, is very worthwhile and has some very Polish music that is consistently in the minor key such as Polish Dance Op. 3 No. 4 and Polonaises Op. 12 and 42. Last but certainly not least, Schumann's Fantasiestucke, Vogel als Prophet, and some of the Kreisleriana are sad as is the majority of Scriabin, at least to me. Cheers!

[rachfan]

For dark pieces I would add the Rachmaninoff Preludes, Op. 23, No. 1 in F#m and Op. 32, No. 10 in Bm as well as his Moment Musicale, Op. 16, No. 3 in Bm.  Also there is Bortkiewicz's Prelude, Op. 33, No 6 in C#m.  And what about Chopin's Prelude, Op. 28, No. 20 in Cm?  Then too, a good portion of Liszt's Vallee d'Obermann has a dark mood.

[general disarray]

Barber Sonata.

Gubaidulina "Ciacona."

[cherub_rocker1979]

This is one of the darkest pieces in the piano literature as far as I'm concerned.

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[retrouvailles]

Lots of George Crumb's music is extremely dark, such as the various Makrokosmos sets. But if you don't want anything too modern look at late Scriabin, particularly the last 5 sonatas. Contrary to what some people think, they are some of the best pieces he ever wrote.

[lostinidlewonder]

What about Prokofiev Diabolic Suggestions?
The master himself:

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[redbaron]

What about Scriabin Prelude No 14 Op 11 in Ebm? That's quite dark. Several pieces from Pictures at an Exhibition should also do the trick. And of course there's Chopin's Funeral March.

[tanman]

Scriabin's Black Mass Sonata. It's all in the title  and also Scriabin etudes Op.42 No.5, Op. 8 No. 12...
Chopin Funeral March Sonata 3rd/4th movements...
also, a lot of the pieces that make me go 

[tanman]

btw

I find it weird that the message icon has a smiley face considering what the topic is about. 

[pies]

a

[jaypiano]

Beethoven Sonata, Op. 10, no. 3: slow movement
Brahms Intermezzo, Op. 118, no. 6
Liszt "Lugubre Gondola", "Nuages Gris"
Ravel "Oiseaux Tristes" from "Miroirs"
Ravel "Le Gibet" from "Gaspard de la Nuit"
Much of Messiaen's "Vingt Regards", "Quartet for the End of Time"

[aewanko]

spam

[shingo]

Maybe not dark, but I find Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, II. Andante to be HAUNTING.

[ganymed]

For me the darkest piece is:

Bach Busoni Chaconne in D minor. One assumes that he wrote it in memory of his dead Wife Maria Bach. Today, I found out  my best friend had  cheated me my ENTIRE life. Now im home again and I listened to this dark depressing piece. It gave me the chills..

[quantum]

Mozart A minor Sonata - written after the death of his mother.

Scriabin 6th Sonata - very ghostly

Medtner wrote a lot of dark sounding music.

[polar_pawz]

Berg's Sonata op.1 is extremely dark. Very introspective.

[communist]

if it dose not have to be piano than isle of the dead

[retrouvailles]

Check out some of Kenneth Leighton's music. Some of the darkest ever written, and it's leaps and bounds darker than pretty much all Romantic period music.

[wm_1]

Chopin- Revolutionary Etude
Ludwig Van- Appassionata (full)

[lmiller2501]

Well tyler think... I think it has a lot to do with the way you think about what a dark piece is...?

[mrnicktjones]

Revelutionary Etude in my opinion is 'NOT' a dark piece. Alot of Chopin's minor Mazurkas are dark. And the Ocean Etude is seemingly 'suspensful'? Aha. Anyways. why would you want a dark piece to play? Dont get mad (or sad). GET GLAD!   

[learner of liszt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFtth2pyB5Y&feature=related

This piece is dark. Not sure if it's difficult enough or not.

[antichrist]

Scriabin op.42 no.5
beethoven moonlight
chopin sonata 3 mov 4

[eminemvsrach]

Prokofiev piano concerto No. 2!!!!!!!


Chopin Polonaise op 44

[magio]

Sorabji's Nocturne Djami (1928) is a VERY VERY VERY dark piece!!!!!
Listen and you will surely agree with me

[thoven_liszt]

Try the Liszt Transcendental Etudes. Mazeppa is a particularly dark piece with major modulations.