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Saddest classical pieces ever

Saddest classical pieces ever

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I have at least 100 heart tearing pieces in my mind 😉 But let's start with Barber's Adagio...



What's your choice ?

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If by sad, you mean pieces that make you sad, I'm afraid I don't think there are any. I find joy and hope in them all. However, let me put forth some:
-The Adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony
-The Adagio from Bruckner's 7th Symphony
-the slow movement from Max Bruch's Violin Concerto
-Crucifixus from Bach's b minor Mass
-one of the late quartets of Beethoven, Op.132 in a minor
-Tchiakovsky Symphony No. 6
-as a horn player, I must add the third movement, Adagio molto, from the Brahms Horn Trio
the list is almost endless

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Originally posted by AttilaTheHorn
If by sad, you mean pieces that make you sad, I'm afraid I don't think there are any. I find joy and hope in them all. However, let me put forth some:
-The Adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony
-The Adagio from Bruckner's 7th Symphony
-the slow movement from Max Bruch's Violin Concerto
-Crucifixus from Bach's b minor Mass
-one of the late quartets ...[text shortened]... dd the third movement, Adagio molto, from the Brahms Horn Trio
the list is almost endless
Yeah, the list is almost endless, you find something new every day. I don't know if they make me only sad, I don't think so, that pieces evocate a mix of emotions indiscribable with words. Maybe touchy is more appropriate word.

I second Mahler !!! (and anything else from your list for that matter.) Interesting how some pieces written in major key can have the stronger tragical note then a lot of minor key pieces.. Very odd and beautiful. I used to wake up and drink coffee listening to the Mahler's Adagietto before doing anything else in the morning.

I could also add Franck violin sonata (A-major), Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Ouvertire (especially if you have broken heart 😛), then er.... er..... that list is really endless... Rachmaninov Vocalise.. Too many pieces 🙂

But I started this thread with the intention to find out if I missed something ! I hope I did so I will have a lot of music surprises

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Bach's Matthäuspassion and Johannespassion
Schubert's Winterreise
Bartók's String Quartet No. 2, 3rd movement

etc.

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Originally posted by Nordlys
Bach's Matthäuspassion and Johannespassion
Schubert's Winterreise
Bartók's String Quartet No. 2, 3rd movement

etc.
Oh of course, Bach's St. Matthew Passion and Schubert's Die Wintereisse! The last lied in the Schubert, Der Leiermann, I find particularly poignant as a musician. Its image of that poor organ-grinder, barefoot on the ice but totally devoted to his art, pulls at my heart strings very personally, and as always, Schunert perfectly captures the image in music.

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Barber's Adagio for Strings
Stanley Meyers' Cavatina
Bach's Kommt susser Tod
Springsteen's Downbound Train

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Faure's Requiem

oh, and Carmina Burana

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In that case we can't forget Mozart's Requiem, Lacrimosa in particular 🙂 I forgot Edward Grieg's Holberg time suite, IV. movement, Aria... Now that's something...

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Originally posted by AttilaTheHorn
Oh of course, Bach's St. Matthew Passion and Schubert's Die Wintereisse! The last lied in the Schubert, Der Leiermann, I find particularly poignant as a musician. Its image of that poor organ-grinder, barefoot on the ice but totally devoted to his art, pulls at my heart strings very personally, and as always, Schunert perfectly captures the image in music.
I have to hear that Shubert then, I'll youtube it !

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My Father's House, Springsteen



Point Blank, Springsteen

&feature=related

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Originally posted by PinkFloyd
Faure's Requiem

oh, and Carmina Burana
You find the Carmina Burana sad?

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Originally posted by ivan2908
I have to hear that Shubert then, I'll youtube it !
I have found the Winterreise to be not very youtubeable. Some songs just aren't there (or impossible to find maybe), others are, but in horrible interpretations. In my personal opinion it's absolutely worth purchasing in a good recording. I have an old recording with Peter Schreier, but my current favourite Schubert singer is Ian Bostridge. I also love to sing and play some of the songs myself, but I wouldn't recommend listening to that. 😛

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Check out:
&feature=related
>There are a few awful performances, but this is one of the better ones. Notice how the left hand of the piano imitates the drone of the organ while the right hand imitates the tinkling of the grinding music, and the singer's melody illustrates the stumbling old man. It is very stark, sad, and tragic.

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Originally posted by Nordlys
I have found the Winterreise to be not very youtubeable. Some songs just aren't there (or impossible to find maybe), others are, but in horrible interpretations. In my personal opinion it's absolutely worth purchasing in a good recording. I have an old recording with Peter Schreier, but my current favourite Schubert singer is Ian Bostridge. I also love to sing and play some of the songs myself, but I wouldn't recommend listening to that. 😛
>I agree with hearing it online. That's not a good way to listen to it.
>I have Peter Schreier doing Die Schone Mullerin as well as Schwanengesang. They're great. My recording of Die Wintereise is Peter Pears with Benjamin Britten accompaning him. It's excellent.

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Originally posted by AttilaTheHorn
Check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPOw0AyH1qA&feature=related
>There are a few awful performances, but this is one of the better ones. Notice how the left hand of the piano imitates the drone of the organ while the right hand imitates the tinkling of the grinding music, and the singer's melody illustrates the stumbling old man. It is very stark, sad, and tragic.
Oh, nice! Those videos with Fischer-Dieskau and Brendel weren't up yet the last time I searched for Die Winterreise. I heard Die Winterreise with Fischer-Dieskau (I don't remember who played the piano) in concert many years ago. He was well over 60 at that time, and I remember being quite amused when he was singing "Der greise Kopf"* where the narrator laments his youth and how his hair is still black after this long journey.

*: &feature=related

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