The 50 Darkest Pieces of Classical Music

• Audio Samples
• Album Summary
• Notes & Reviews
• Also Purchased
• Works Details

Audio Samples

Album Summary

Performers

• Michael Ponti (Piano)
• Finghin Collins (Piano)
• Emmy Berhey (Violin)
• Hans Fagius (Piano)
• Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)
• Harald Feller (Organ)
• Viktor Yampolsky (Piano)
• Markus Stocker (Cello)
• Karl Stanberg (Flute)
• Andreas Muehlen-Wester (Piano)
• Per-Olof Gillblad (Oboe)
• Tomislav Bavnov (Piano)
• Emanuel Abbuhl (Oboe)
• Klemens Schnorr (Piano)
• Torleif Thedeen (Cello)
• Dubravka Tomsic (Piano)
• Roland Pöntinen (Piano)

Conductors

• Beissel, Heribert
• Bour, Ernest
• Burzynski, Jakub
• DePreist, James
• Fedoseyev, Vladimir
• Francis, Alun
• Gal, Tamas
• Griffiths, Howard
• Kantschieder, Paul
• Ludwig, Gunter
• Nanut, Anton
• Nelsson, Woldemar
• Parry, David
• Pesko, Zoltan
• Roth, Ferdinand
• Schmidt-Gertenbach, Volke
• Segerstam, Leif
• Skrowaczewski, Stanislaw
• Stadlmair, Hans
• Stupel, Ilya
• Susskind, Walter
• Swarowsky, Hans
• Wedin, Jan-Olav

Ensembles

• 
• Camerata Antonio Luco
• Capella Istropolitana
• La Tempesta
• Moyzes Quartet

Composers

• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971)
• Benedetto Marcello (1686 - 1739)
• Franz Schubert (Vienna) (1797 - 1828)
• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907)
• Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934)
• Sergey Prokofiev (1891 - 1953)
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)
• Léon Boëllmann (1862 - 1897)
• George Frederick Handel (1685 - 1759)
• Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869)
• Sergey Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)
• Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886)
• Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881)
• Carl Orff (1895 - 1982)
• Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)
• Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883)
• Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)
• Samuel Barber (Composer) (1910 - 1981)
• Arvo Pärt (1935 - )
• Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
• Dmitry Shostakovich (1906 - 1975)
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
• Erik Satie (Composer) (1866 - 1925)
• Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945)
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901)
• Remo Giazotto (1910 - 1998)

Notes & Reviews:

Some of the great classical composers have a dark side and while perhaps hidden in their personal lives, it comes alive in their music. There exists a rich variety of gloomy numbers from the darker regions: Beethoven's 5th, the gothic blueprint of Orff's Carmina Burana, and Liszt's Totentanz to name a few. All of the titles not only showcase the tortured souls of these great composers, but also connect with our universal fascination for the darker side of humankind.

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Works Details

Liszt, Franz : Totentanz, for piano, S. 525 (LW A62)

• Performer: Michael Ponti (Piano)
• Conductor: Volke Schmidt-Gertenbach
• Notes: Composition written: 1865.
• Running Time: 15 min. 12 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1865

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich : The Nutcracker :: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy

• Conductor: Heribert Beissel
• Running Time: 2 min. 14 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Ballet
• Written: 1892

Grieg, Edvard : Peer Gynt Suite no 1 :: In the Hall of the Mountain King

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 2 min. 43 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1874-1875

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921) : Danse macabre in G minor, Op. 40

• Conductor: James DePreist
• Running Time: 7 min. 47 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1874

Shostakovich, Dmitri : Quartet for Strings no 8 in C minor :: Allegro molto

• Ensemble: Moyzes Quartet
• Notes: Composition written: 1960.
• Running Time: 3 min. sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1960

Holst, Gustav : The Planets :: Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age

• Conductor: Walter Susskind
• Running Time: 9 min. 22 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1914-1916

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Requiem :: Dies irae

• Conductor: Tamás Gál
• Running Time: 1 min. 39 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Choral
• Written: 1791

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Moonlight Sonata :: Adagio sostenuto

• Performer: Finghin Collins (Piano)
• Running Time: 5 min. 36 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1801

Prokofiev, Sergei : Romeo and Juliet Suite :: Montagues and Capulets

• Conductor: Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
• Notes: Composition written: 1937.
• Running Time: 5 min. 22 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1937

Mussorgsky, Modest : Pictures at an Exhibition :: Gnomus

• Conductor: Leif Segerstam
• Running Time: 3 min. sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1874-1922

Satie, Erik [Composer] : Gnossienne for piano no 1

• Performer: Roland Pöntinen (Piano)
• Running Time: 3 min. 15 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1890

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Symphony no 40 in G minor :: Allegro molto

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 7 min. 2 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1788

Vivaldi, Antonio : The Four Seasons "Summer" :: Presto

• Performer: Emmy Berhey (Violin)
• Conductor: Alun Francis
• Ensemble: Camerata Antonio Luco
• Running Time: 3 min. 2 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1725

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Symphony no 5 in C minor, "Fate" :: Allegro con brio

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 7 min. 28 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1808

Orff, Carl : Carmina Burana :: O Fortuna

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 2 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Cantata/Oratorio
• Written: 1935-1936

Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945) : Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta :: Adagio

• Conductor: Zoltán Peskó
• Running Time: 7 min. 4 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1936

Holst, Gustav : The Planets :: Mars, the Bringer of War

• Conductor: Walter Susskind
• Running Time: 7 min. 14 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1914-1916

Léon Boëllmann (1862 - 1897) : Suite Gothique :: Toccata

• Performer: Hans Fagius (Piano)
• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 3 min. 58 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1895

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Egmont :: Overture

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 7 min. 57 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1809-1810

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849) : Sonata for Piano no 2 in B minor :: Funeral March

• Performer: Mitsuko Uchida (Piano)
• Running Time: 7 min. 30 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1837

Verdi, Giuseppe : Requiem Mass :: Dies Irae

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 3 min. 54 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1874

Handel, George Frideric : Organ Concerto no 10 in D minor :: Adagio

• Performer: Harald Feller (Organ)
• Conductor: Paul Kantschieder
• Ensemble: Capella Istropolitana
• Running Time: 6 min. 32 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Concerto
• Written: circa 1744

Shostakovich, Dmitri : Sonata for Cello in D minor :: 2. Allegro

• Performers: Viktor Yampolsky (Piano); Markus Stocker (Cello)
• Notes: Composition written: 1934.
• Running Time: 3 min. 6 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1934

Mussorgsky, Modest : Night on the Bare Mountain

• Conductor: Leif Segerstam
• Running Time: 11 min. 24 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1886

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Masonic Funeral Music in C minor, K 477 (479a)

• Conductor: Ernest Bour
• Running Time: 5 min. 55 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1785

Vivaldi, Antonio : Stabat Mater :: dolorosa

• Conductor: Jakub Burzynski
• Ensemble: La Tempesta
• Running Time: 2 min. 17 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Choral
• Written: by 1742

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Coriolan Overture in C minor, Op. 62

• Conductor: Günter Ludwig
• Running Time: 7 min. 36 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1807

Wagner, Richard : Die Walküre :: Ride of the Valkyries

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 5 min. 11 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1854-1856

Vivaldi, Antonio : Sopranino Flute Concerto in C major :: Largo

• Performer: Karl Stanberg (Flute)
• Conductor: Hans Stadlmair
• Running Time: 3 min. 55 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Concerto
• Written: by 1742

Orff, Carl : Carmina Burana :: Fortunae plango vulnera

• Conductor: Ilya Stupel
• Running Time: 2 min. 42 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Cantata/Oratorio
• Written: 1935-1936

Giazotto, Remo : Adagio in C minor for strings & organ (previously attributed to Tomaso Albinoni)

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 8 min. 37 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921) : The Carnival of the Animals :: Aquarium

• Conductor: Ferdinand Roth
• Running Time: 2 min. 27 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1886

Liszt, Franz : Nuages gris (Grey clouds)

• Performer: Andreas Muehlen-Wester (Piano)
• Running Time: 3 min. 22 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1881

Berlioz, Hector : Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 :: The March to the Scaffold

• Conductor: Anton Nanut
• Running Time: 4 min. 46 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 04/1830

Sibelius, Jean : Lemminkäinen Suite, Op. 22 :: The Swan of Tuonela

• Performer: Per-Olof Gillblad (Oboe)
• Conductor: Jan-Olav Wedin
• Running Time: 8 min. 8 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1895

Stravinsky, Igor : The Rite of Spring :: L'adoration de la Terre (Adoration of the Earth)

• Conductor: Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
• Running Time: 15 min. 11 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Ballet
• Written: 1911-1913

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Reqiuem :: Lacrimosa dies illa

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 2 min. 49 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Choral
• Written: 1791

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Symphony no 3 in E flat major, "Eroica" :: Marcia funébre

• Conductor: Woldemar Nelsson
• Running Time: 15 min. 16 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1803

Rachmaninov, Sergei : Morceaux de fantaisies (5), Op. 3

• Performer: Tomislav Bavnov (Piano)
• Running Time: 4 min. 13 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1892

Barber, Samuel : Adagio for Strings

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 8 min. 22 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1936

Marcello, Benedetto : Concerto for Oboe in D minor :: Adagio

• Performer: Emanuel Abbuhl (Oboe)
• Conductor: Howard Griffiths
• Running Time: 3 min. 53 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Concerto
• Written: 1717

Shostakovich, Dmitri : Symphony no 10 in E minor :: Allegro

• Notes: Composition written: 1953.
• Running Time: 4 min. 14 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1953

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich : Swan Lake Suite :: Scène (Lake in the Moonlight)

• Conductor: David Parry
• Running Time: 3 min. 1 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Written: 1875-1876

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Toccata and Fugue for Organ in D minor, BWV 565

• Performer: Klemens Schnorr (Piano)
• Running Time: 8 min. 54 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: by 1708

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Symphony no 7 in A major :: Allegretto

• Conductor: Vladimir Fedoseyev
• Running Time: 9 min. 3 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1812

Arvo Pärt (1935 - ) : Fratres

• Running Time: 9 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Contemporary
• Written: 1991

Schubert, Franz : Symphony no 4 in C minor, "Tragic" :: Allegro

• Conductor: Hans Swarowsky
• Notes: Composition written: 1816.
• Running Time: 10 min. 23 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Orchestral
• Written: 1816

Bach, Johann Sebastian : Suite for Cello no 5 in C minor :: Sarabande

• Performer: Torleif Thedeen (Cello)
• Running Time: 3 min. 53 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1720

Beethoven, Ludwig van : Moonlight Sonata :: Presto agitato

• Performer: Dubravka Tomsic (Piano)
• Running Time: 7 min. 8 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1801

Holst, Gustav : The Planets :: Neptune, the Mystic

• Conductor: Walter Susskind
• Running Time: 7 min. 36 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Written: 1914-1916