[Alfacharger]

Three composers noted more for their film scores concert works.

Bernard Herrmann, Sinfonietta for Strings.

Jerry Goldsmith, Music for Orchestra.

John Williams, Flute Concerto.

Treat,,,, John Wiliams conducting "Death Hunt" from Bernard Herrmann's score to "On Dangerous Ground".

 

[Marc]

J.S. Bach, 6-part Choralbearbeitung (chorale arrangement) for organ "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" ("In deep distress I cry out to Thee"), BWV 686.
Played here by Caroline Robinson on the Fritts organ, Sacred Heart cathedral, Rochester, NY, USA.

A thundering and chilling piece that sometimes makes me want to sink on my knees, hide under the bed or run away... but which also keeps me entirely mesmerized... and I just don't want it to end.

 

[Bastien]

What are some of your favorite dark, deep, brooding, heavy, etc. pieces/movements? Happy to continue adding to my collection - the darker the better. Thank you all in advance!

Try the expositions of Mozart's K.466 & K.491 although there's much more than just dark to be found there.

 

[KenL]

Some pieces that come to mind today,

--Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima:

Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

-National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.Antoni Wit, Conductor.

www.youtube.com

--Britten, Serenade for tenor, horn & strings, V. "Dirge - This Ae Night" movement, as sung by Peter Pears:

--Persichetti: Symphony No.9 "Janiculum":

--Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8:

--Shostakovich Symphony No 8 (I find the opening to the Symphony no. 5 ominous & haunting too, etc.):

--Shostakovich, Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67:

--Shostakovich, Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 134:
Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Sonata [With score]
--Shostakovich, Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 147:
Dmitri Shostakovich - Viola Sonata [With score]
--Sibelius Symphony No. 4 in A Minor:
Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63: I. Tempo molto moderato, quasi adagio
--Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 9, Op. 68 "Black Mass":

Scriabin -- Piano Sonata No 9, Op 68 (Black Mass Sonata)

VLADIMIR SOFRONITSKYLive, 1960

www.youtube.com

--Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 6:
Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82: I. Allegro Moderato
--Orff: Carmina Burana - 1. "O Fortuna": Orff: Carmina Burana / Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - 1. "O Fortuna"
--Suk: Asrael Symphony:
Josef Suk Asrael Symphony - Rafael Kubelík
--Koechlin, Symphony No. 2, Op.196--this is a ridiculously neglected work. Since the following live BBC recording made by Constantin Silvestri & the LSO, the Symphony No. 2 has never been recorded (unless you count his String Quartet No. 2, upon which Koechlin based the symphony): Charles Koechlin: Symphony No. 2
--Koechlin, Viola Sonata, Op. 53--I see this piece as another neglected 20th century masterwork:
Charles Koechlin - Viola Sonata, Op. 53
--Pettersson, Symphony No 9:
Allan Pettersson, Symphony No 9, Sergiu Comissiona
--Pettersson Symphony No.10:
Symphony No.10 - Allan Pettersson
--Pettersson: Violin Concerto No. 2:
Allan Pettersson * Concerto n. 2 per violino ed orchestra

@Josquin13 I have been in a Koechlin rabbit hole for hours this morning - blown away by him! But like you said, nearly impossible to find a recording (at least one I can buy/download) of that second symphony. Really digging his piece Le Docteur Fabricius, Op. 202 especially. Really some gorgeous stuff, and he wrote a ton! Can't believe he's talked about so little - clearly deserves far more attention than he's getting. Thanks among the other suggestions for finding me a new composer to obsess about haha

 

[KenL]

Tenebrae [Latin for darkness] or Leçons de ténèbres, that is settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah by French baroque that were apparently sung in special services in barely lit churches during Holy Week. There are some by Charpentier, Couperin and others. And while usually not called Tenebrae, these same Lamentations have been set many times, famously by Lassus, Tallis, A. Scarlatti, Krenek and many others.

@Kreisler jr thank you again for these - listened to Charpentier's Lecons de tenebres last evening, and that pushed me over to Byrd's and Tallis' lamentations, all of which are beautiful.

 

[KenL]

Try the expositions of Mozart's K.466 & K.491 although there's much more than just dark to be found there.

Two favorites!

 

[Open Lane]

Penderecki's saint Luke passion is gut wrenching

 

[Marc]

Some pieces that come to mind today,

--Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima:

Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

-National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra.Antoni Wit, Conductor.

www.youtube.com

[...]

The piece made a devastating impact during Twin Peaks, Season 3, Episode 8.

 

[Second Trombone]

Schubert: Erkönig, D. 328 is absolutely terrifying, and its a worthy pairing with Schubert's later "Der Doppelgänger", suggested above.
John Dowland: "In Darkness Let Me Dwell" is another song worth hearing.

 

[John O]

Martinu Concerto for Double string Orchestra, Piano and Timpani

 

[ChrJou]

3 movements that I find particularly dark in Bach Cantatas

BWV 57-3 Ich wünschte mir den Tod, den Tod Soprano Aria - Arleen Augér / Helmuth Rilling

BWV 82-1 Ich habe genug Bass Aria - Hans Hotter / Anthony Bernard

BWV 13-5 Ächzen und erbärmlich Weinen Bass Aria - Gerald Finley / John Eliot Gardiner

 

[Josquin13]

I'm pleased to hear that you're enjoying getting to know the music of Charles Koechlin. Yes, it is unbelieveable that no conductor & orchestra has recorded his complete symphonies to date. Here are some further links to Koechlin works that might interest you,

Charles Koechlin: Les Heures persanes (1913/1919) 3/3

Charles Koechlin: Le Buisson Ardent (1933/1945)
Violin Sonata, Op. 64: I. Calme, lumineux et féerique

Paysages et marines, Op. 63: No. 1. Sur la falaise

Les heures persanes, Op. 65: I. Sieste, avant le depart: Lent
Or,
Les Heures Persanes, Op. 65: I. Sieste, avant le départ

Charles Koechlin: Vers la voûte étoilée op.129 (1923/1933, rev. 1939)

Koechlin also orchestrated Debussy's late work, Khamma, when Debussy was too ill to do so, which tells us a lot about how highly regarded Koechlin was as an orchestrator at the time. He orchestrated Faure's Pelleas et Melisande, too, at his teacher's request. To my ears, Koechlin has a rare ability to match and blend various, often unusual combinations of instruments. He can remind me of J. Haydn in this respect,

Charles Koechlin: Trio for Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon, Op. 92 (1924)
Koechlin: Quintette No. 2 pour flûte, violon, alto, violoncelle et harpe, Op. 223: I. Allegro...
Oboe Sonata, Op. 58: I. Allegro moderato: Pastorale - La terre - Les travaux des champs - Le...
Charles Koechlin: "Primavera" Quintet, Op. 156 (1936)
15 Etudes, Op. 188: I. Pour les traits rapides

ETC.

Moving on from my earlier list of purely classical works, I find as much, if not more angst, suffering & despair expressed in the following song by The Cure as in the darkest lieder by Franz Schubert:

"From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea":

The Cure - From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea (Live 1995)

 

[Brucknerphile]

Bartok: Bluebeards Castle
Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
Mahler: last movement of Symphony No. 9
Wagner: Siegfried Funeral Music
Joaquin de Prez or Heinrich Isaac: Memorial on the Death of Emperor Maximillan

 

[KenL]

I'm pleased to hear that you're enjoying getting to know the music of Charles Koechlin. Yes, it is unbelieveable that no conductor & orchestra has recorded his complete symphonies to date. Here are some further links to Koechlin works that might interest you,

Charles Koechlin: Les Heures persanes (1913/1919) 3/3

Charles Koechlin: Le Buisson Ardent (1933/1945)
Violin Sonata, Op. 64: I. Calme, lumineux et féerique

Paysages et marines, Op. 63: No. 1. Sur la falaise

Les heures persanes, Op. 65: I. Sieste, avant le depart: Lent
Or,
Les Heures Persanes, Op. 65: I. Sieste, avant le départ

Charles Koechlin: Vers la voûte étoilée op.129 (1923/1933, rev. 1939)

Koechlin also orchestrated Debussy's late work, Khamma, when Debussy was too ill to do so, which tells us a lot about how highly regarded Koechlin was as an orchestrator at the time. He orchestrated Faure's Pelleas et Melisande, too, at his teacher's request. To my ears, Koechlin has a rare ability to match and blend various, often unusual combinations of instruments. He can remind me of J. Haydn in this respect,

Charles Koechlin: Trio for Flute, Clarinet, and Bassoon, Op. 92 (1924)
Koechlin: Quintette No. 2 pour flûte, violon, alto, violoncelle et harpe, Op. 223: I. Allegro...
Oboe Sonata, Op. 58: I. Allegro moderato: Pastorale - La terre - Les travaux des champs - Le...
Charles Koechlin: "Primavera" Quintet, Op. 156 (1936)
15 Etudes, Op. 188: I. Pour les traits rapides

ETC.

Moving on from my earlier list of purely classical works, I find as much, if not more angst, suffering & despair expressed in the following song by The Cure as in the darkest lieder by Franz Schubert:

"From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea":

The Cure - From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea (Live 1995)

Thank you for the Koechlin list! I have been really enjoying Le Docteur Fabricius by him today. Super beautiful, dark, different. Parts I and II Charles Koechlin: Le Docteur Fabricius (1941-1946) Parti 1 e 2

 

[Bruckner Anton II]

If you like Shostakovich's wartime music, you can't miss Prokofiev symphony #5, especially the first movement.
Other recommendations:
Brahms Begräbnisgesang op.13
Dvorak requiem - especially dies irae
Bruckner Symphony 8 movement 3
Liszt funerailles (for solo piano)
Tchaikovsky Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet
Mahler symphony #6,9
Strauss metamorphosen
Schmidt symphony #4
Suk Asrael symphony
Additionally, a lot of well-known operas contain some "dark" scenes as most of them are tragic.

 

[KenL]

If you like Shostakovich's wartime music, you can't miss Prokofiev symphony #5, especially the first movement.
Other recommendations:
Brahms Begräbnisgesang op.13
Dvorak requiem - especially dies irae
Bruckner Symphony 8 movement 3
Liszt funerailles (for solo piano)
Tchaikovsky Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet
Mahler symphony #6,9
Strauss metamorphosen
Schmidt symphony #4
Suk Asrael symphony
Additionally, a lot of well-known operas contain some "dark" scenes as most of them are tragic.

Thank you!!! Some familiar ones on this list for me but definitely some new pieces as well, which I will most certainly check out - appreciate you!