the saddest music

[Kullervo]

The first movement of Schubert's D960, at least as played in the Richterian manner, not to mention a lot of his later lieder.

Yes, that is crushingly beautiful.

[not edward]

Here's a rather more non-canonical one: the coda to the finale of Honegger's First Symphony. After the energy of the finale dissipates, the slow afterword has a deep, intense sadness to it.

Busoni's Berceuse elegiaque and the Sarabande from Sarabande und Cortege I also find painfully sad: not sad in such an intense way as some of the other pieces, yet the sadness in these works I find harder to shrug off. Similarly with the second subject (the oboe theme) in the first movement of Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony. (And the prelude to the third act of Tristan und Isolde for that matter.)

[orbital]

Just heard the E-flat minor P&F from bk1 of the WTC. 

Thankfully it is one of the easier preludes to play too.

I like that prelude without the embellishments (a la Gould), a more direct approach such as that by Feinberg works perfectly. At most a few tasteful ornaments like Sokolov does works well too.

[12tone.]

Elgar's music is really sad.

[Brian]

Yes very sad but i think i can beat it in the same symphony.

About 13 min. into the 1st movement right after, the timpani fades and then the strings almost cry out and the brass answers. And this call and answer lasts for about 1 min and 30 seconds. Every time i hear it i shiver and want it to end because there is so much despair, yet it is sublime. To me without a doubt it is the saddest minute and a half of music ever written.   

Yes.

(sorry...)

[Varg]

Good explanation for what I meant; of course what works does that is a personal "feeling" or how you experience a particular work, all I meant that Pettersson IMO avoids going "over the top" in a way I feel other composers don't. As in the difference between wallowing in one's misery vs. handling the misery and moving on.

Yes, and he does that (not going over the top) in a very huge, full way; but it never feels like he's doing too much, even if he's doing alot.

Something popped in my mind when you talked about wallowing in one's misery and handling the misery. That is one obscure area. Dont you think that, for exemple, the strongest man can also be the most suffering, and the only thing he feels to express is his suffering? Suffering doesn't come necessary from weakness, and it's expression self-pity. That must be pretty rare, if it ever existed. But would you recognize him, or you'll think that wallowing and self-pity also aply to him?

[Varg]

May i had "Ingrid's Lament" and "Solveig's Song" from Grieg's Peer Gynt?

[orbital]

I was watching the Rubinstein Remembered DVD earlier, and the way Arthur plays the Chopin c sharp mazurka op 30 on this film evokes all those feelings of saudade

[Brian]

May i had "Ingrid's Lament" and "Solveig's Song" from Grieg's Peer Gynt?

ohh, yes you may, and "Ase's Death" too, in the searing six-minute rendition given by Beecham.

[Varg]

ohh, yes you may, and "Ase's Death" too, in the searing six-minute rendition given by Beecham.

How could i forgot to mention "Aase's Death"!!

[sidoze]

At most a few tasteful ornaments like Sokolov does works well too.

That is one Sokolov performance I don't like much (e-flat minor P&F). The Prelude seems too slow, too heavy and laboured, and the P&F a bit brisk. The Richter on Russian Revelation is about perfect for me. Actually the direct approach in Norstein's Skazka Skazok is pretty much perfect too. I wonder who the pianist was...

[Brahmsian]

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde - Prelude to Act III

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 13 (Cavatina)

Schubert - Adagio movements to the String Quintet and the Death and the Maiden quartet.

[Superhorn]

  I wouldn't call the closing bars of the adagio of the Bruckner 9th "desolate" at all.
   In fact, they are very gentle and full of consolation after the agonies of the rest of the movement. 
 

[Christo]

Not particularly "sad", perhaps, but IMHO music is hardly capable of expressing sadness at all. But least there's music that discloses an awareness of death or of a related desolation. Examples that never fail to impress me are the closing bars of a handful of `near death symphonies' like:

Nielsen 6 `Semplice'
Vaughan Williams 6
Honegger 5 `Di Tre Re'
Shostakovich 15
Malcolm Arnold 9 (in fact, this complete symphony is an example of what I mean)

[Ugh]

Åse's Death resonates particularly with me for several reasons. I used to live quite close to Grieg's place in Bergen and share his initials. During my mother's funeral I improvised on a church-organ and realized only later that I had structured the improvisation around the notes in Åse's Death.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Examples that never fail to impress me are the closing bars of a handful of `near death symphonies' like:

Nielsen 6 `Semplice'
Vaughan Williams 6
Honegger 5 `Di Tre Re'
Shostakovich 15
Malcolm Arnold 9 (in fact, this complete symphony is an example of what I mean)

I know all of those except the Honegger. I would add Schnittke's 8th, which feels very similar to the Arnold in particular. The ending, with its very faint sense of hope after 35 minutes of desolation, is especially poignant.

Also the Martinu 6th belongs in this category. The coda is much like that of the Bruckner 9th, mentioned above.

[jowcol]

A lot of Mussorgsky fits the bill nicely for me-- the idiot's melody in Boris, Songs and Dances of Death, about the second half of Khovanschina, etc.

Another cliche-- Albinoni's Adagio-- used frequently in the movies, but I still love it.

[abidoful]

Tchaikovsky 6th definately. Also his Piano Trio... And the 3rd String Quartet Adagio.

Chopin Cello Sonata
Rachmaninov Cello Sonata

Also Chopin last few Mazurkas, Waltzes, Nocturnes and Songs from 1847-49 are quite sad.

And Chopin 2nd Ballade ending...

Lots of Chopin and lots of Tshaikovsky are sad!

[offbeat]

Parts of Rachmaninov Vespers i find extremely sad and i always feel sad
after Sibelius's Andante Festivo.........

[abidoful]

one more;

Debussy PELLEAS ET MELISANDE. The few last pages. It's so subtle, that's so pro in Debussy- not big cymbals clashing or strings weeping, only few gorgeous bars and the bells... very "beautiful"death.That's almost impossible to listen with your eyes drie.

I wonder why some find works that express hope and kind of an inner strength "sad", like Parsifal or a Bruckner Adagio?? They can move you but that's not sad music, no way!!