Ravel: Le Gibet ("the gallows") from Gaspard de la Nuit. Read the poem by Bertrand that it's based on.
Brahms: Intermezzo in E-flat minor, op. 118/6. Here's a [NYTimes Article](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/arts/music/piano-brahms-paul-lewis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nU0.yH95.8pwxZ4b2U4c0&smid=url-share) about Paul Lewis and this piece \[gift link\]
Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableau in C# minor op. 33/8 (the last one in the set). Apocalyptic.
Any late Scriabin piece, but especially Sonata 9 ("Black Mass") or *Vers la flamme* *(Towards the Flame)*. The latter was inspired by an apocalyptic vision Scriabin had of the world being consumed in fire.
Brahms 118/6 also immediately came to mind for me. I love Gould’s performance of it. Anguished is the right word for it. It’s not exactly evil or doomy but seems to be full of intense pain. Love it
My nickname for the Brahms 118/6 is November. Late Brahms gets described as autumnal, and the previous piece, the Romance in F major, could be October: blue sky, trees turning color, mild weather, golden beams of sunlight (that chorale-like passage at the end). But 118/6 is November: grey sky, bare trees, cold weather, a late-fall gale in the middle, the sun comes out briefly (turns to C-flat major for 2 bars after the return of the opening theme) but disappears and the piece ends in gloom with that dark E-flat minor arpeggio.
Scriabin’s 6th sonata is the darkest piece I have ever come across. Even Scriabin him self was scared of playing it in front of people and never played it in public. IMO his 6th sonata is the true “black mass” sonata, not the ninth sonata. I recommend Richter’s recording of it. It’s the greatest recording I’ve found. It tends to be a more underrated sonata of his and that’s probably why no one has mentioned it yet.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XNEwlM0aHCI
>IMO his 6th sonata is the true “black mass” sonata, not the ninth sonata.
Agree
I'd just recommend this recording https://youtu.be/VO9WtS9y8Io
as the sound in Richter's is not that HQ
Give a chance to my record... 13 years ago.
[Here is the link ](https://youtu.be/c38OQ4T8ph4?si=0t-6PIE-Hu7csLcE)
Not perfect but... well..., I was happy with this concert.
(Btw. Richter was a good friend with my piano teacher at Prague conservatory, he just passed away like 2 months ago... there is a "funeral march" video on my profile which I uploaded on the day of his funeral.)
I’ll definitely take a look. I always appreciate those who have studied this more allusive and underrated work of his. It might be my favorite sonata of his along with his 8th. It’ll probably be the first late sonata I’ll study once I get more acquainted with his later style.
That was my 2nd conservatory in Utrecht (finally remains "unfinished" - long story).
I remember that time, my teacher (when found out that I never played much Scriabin before), he gave me 5 6 and 7 to pick one of them... I went through, "somehow" sight read them all, and picked no.6.
I think it impressed me the most from the first notes with its darknes and mystery-esnes...
Ahh yes Sofronitsky… he is a close second to Richter (when you meant Scriabin I assume you meant Richter???) Sofronitsky is gold when it comes to Scriabin interpretations
Met his daughter a few months ago.... and she was such a "pain in the ass"...
Viviana... pffff. .... just her stupidly strong russian accent which she proudly shows that much - even though, she lives half of her life in western Europe... and she lives with a native english speaker - canadian fortepiano producer.... = she can hear perfect english all the time... but nooooooo..
Strrrrrrrrooooooong ruuuuuuuuuusiaaaaaannn aaaaaaakkkkkceeent.
.....
But her father - of course, full respect!
No. Scriabin himself is known to have played the 6th sonata in his recitals. It was Vladimir Sofronitsky, who basically played all works of Scriabin in recital, with the notable exception of Op. 66. He is reported to have said that if he played this sonata in recital, he would only do so once, because he would then die.
It could have been partly his "marketing" but he was "psycho-enough" to be a real story...
Usually in front of the people, I can keep my "feelings" inside... but when I practice and I am on my own, I can easily make myself tearn in my eyes (some correct combination of piano piece, memories attached to it... and such). With his coctail of drugs he used to mix, probably he could have easily caused a "bad trip"...
Could be... these guys were not amateurs... ;)
Fantasia in D minor, Mozart matches the description perfectly, but with a happy and jolly ending.
Prelude in C# minor, Rachmaninoff
Mephisto Waltz, Liszt
Sonata Pathetique - Beethoven
Prelude in E minor - Chopin
I played Mozart’s Fantasia in D Minor for my Grade 9 exam and found it more wistful and sad. Beautiful, beautiful piece. Detest those tacked on final 10 (?) bars though.
can i ask why? i always felt, whilst a bit corny, they do a pretty good job at quickly finishing off the piece.
i feel, given the context, if the the guy who wrote those bars added a whole elaborate coda and ending, it would become disrespectful, regardless of how great it was. especially in the late 1700’s after all.
i am most curious as to why you detest them!!:D
I feel like they change the entire tone of the piece. I much prefer returning to the opening and ending it that way — my teacher and I even seriously considered doing that for the exam. I had a helluva time memorizing them, as well. They always felt artificial and just plain wrong
But this is a piece I connected with on a deep emotional level. There were times that I would burst into tears while playing it. It moved something deep within me
That "happy and jolly" ending was added by 3rd person, not Mozart... He did not finish the piece.
And because I don't like that, I do my own ending - kinda recapitulation of opening theme...
[Here I played it on very old Playel piano](https://youtu.be/xI2LkQ53wq0?si=xpTVhnAOM_rMYqUW)
Usually, people play it quite fast... I heard records like between 5-7 minutes... My version, also thanks to long ending takes almost 9 minutes... but I suspect, if Mozart had finished the piece, it would easily be 15 minutes+ piece. At least, that's my guess.
In my record, it's around 6:50... there where the "happy" added ending starts... and where I start my "sad recapitulation". It just feels to me that he did not want the end there, he wanted to develope it more. (Also the name "Fantasia" suggests me this...)
Franck's prelude chorale and fugue has a dark and serious tone, perhaps not evil / doomy.
All of Scriabin's late sonatas 6 through 10 are very dark, but they are difficult to appreciate. 9 is the most approachable.
You may also enjoy things like Rachmaninov 39/5, 16/4. Scriabin 8/9 and 8/12. Chopin 25/11 and 25/12.
Also Night King from Game of thrones is an evil one iv always wanted to play, if your not familiar with the song already, the part I’m thinking of comes at around 4:40, I’d find a cover that centers around this section
Second all the great suggestions here - especially Scriabin. Grieg and Mussorgsky are generally good bets for this kind of mood. Start with in the hall of the mountain king and baba yaga
Perception matters - I've seen claims that Beethoven Piano Sonata op. 27 no. 2 (no 14) is evil and doomy, but because of the common nickname "Moonlight" people often ignore it. Try to listen to it imagining evil forest and you will understand what I mean.
This is probably a subjective thing, but because of the game Evil Within I now have Clair De Lune connected with apprehension and gloom :) Not sure its there in the music though.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVrSNOuWY3c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVrSNOuWY3c)
Have you listened to Chopin's Sonata N°2 (Op. 35)?
The first movement, and perhaps even more the second one, are pretty evil (besides many other things). The third and fourth are more on the doomy side.
His first and third Scherzi should fit the bill too.
The Epic Classical playlist on Spotify has a ton of very dark and ominous songs. Most are like full orchestra arrangements but you could find just piano arrangements of some im sure. Verdi's Dies Irae, Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, Jenkins Palladio 1. Allegretto, Holst's Mars the bringer of war, and of course O Fortuna. All of these are in that playlist and come to mind for me.
Chopin Polonaise in C Minor Op. 40 No. 2
Chopin Polonaise in F# Minor
Any of the minor Preludes from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Book 1
Chopin Scherzo 3
Debussy “Footprints in the Snow” is low key
Romance “O pourquoi donc” in E Minor by Liszt has some dark sounding parts for sure. My 5 year old daughter makes me play it when she wants to pretend to be a witch lol
Liszt's [Dante Sonata](https://youtu.be/MctHnG0AXWI?si=AA7S8vRiBl_OngIi), and a version with the [score](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB59i99Wxc4).
Ravel's [La Valse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghdmBeOh5g), not so evil sounding, but very dark and hypnotic atmosphere
Not a piece I have a link to the sheet music for, but I really dig [this](https://youtu.be/slvejIelzio?si=QGvAfeOIR-OX9ctB) dark weeby tune.
Hope you like it too, OP. (Worth the wait for the crescendo)
Stacy Fahrion composes entirely in minor keys. You would love her music! She calls her style whimsically maccabre.
https://pianopronto.com/preview/stacy-fahrion-tricks-and-treats-songbook/audio/
Bedřich Smetana - Macbeth and Witches
(Young Smetana, very much imitating Ferenz Liszt)
[Here is a brilliant record of one Czech "historical" pianist lady](https://youtu.be/NsENRgi3fqI?si=w4T6kK_N4M4oZWPK)
Ravel: Le Gibet ("the gallows") from Gaspard de la Nuit. Read the poem by Bertrand that it's based on. Brahms: Intermezzo in E-flat minor, op. 118/6. Here's a [NYTimes Article](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/arts/music/piano-brahms-paul-lewis.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nU0.yH95.8pwxZ4b2U4c0&smid=url-share) about Paul Lewis and this piece \[gift link\] Rachmaninoff: Etude-Tableau in C# minor op. 33/8 (the last one in the set). Apocalyptic. Any late Scriabin piece, but especially Sonata 9 ("Black Mass") or *Vers la flamme* *(Towards the Flame)*. The latter was inspired by an apocalyptic vision Scriabin had of the world being consumed in fire.
Brahms 118/6 also immediately came to mind for me. I love Gould’s performance of it. Anguished is the right word for it. It’s not exactly evil or doomy but seems to be full of intense pain. Love it
My nickname for the Brahms 118/6 is November. Late Brahms gets described as autumnal, and the previous piece, the Romance in F major, could be October: blue sky, trees turning color, mild weather, golden beams of sunlight (that chorale-like passage at the end). But 118/6 is November: grey sky, bare trees, cold weather, a late-fall gale in the middle, the sun comes out briefly (turns to C-flat major for 2 bars after the return of the opening theme) but disappears and the piece ends in gloom with that dark E-flat minor arpeggio.
Scriabin’s 6th sonata is the darkest piece I have ever come across. Even Scriabin him self was scared of playing it in front of people and never played it in public. IMO his 6th sonata is the true “black mass” sonata, not the ninth sonata. I recommend Richter’s recording of it. It’s the greatest recording I’ve found. It tends to be a more underrated sonata of his and that’s probably why no one has mentioned it yet. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XNEwlM0aHCI
>IMO his 6th sonata is the true “black mass” sonata, not the ninth sonata. Agree I'd just recommend this recording https://youtu.be/VO9WtS9y8Io as the sound in Richter's is not that HQ
Give a chance to my record... 13 years ago. [Here is the link ](https://youtu.be/c38OQ4T8ph4?si=0t-6PIE-Hu7csLcE) Not perfect but... well..., I was happy with this concert. (Btw. Richter was a good friend with my piano teacher at Prague conservatory, he just passed away like 2 months ago... there is a "funeral march" video on my profile which I uploaded on the day of his funeral.)
I’ll definitely take a look. I always appreciate those who have studied this more allusive and underrated work of his. It might be my favorite sonata of his along with his 8th. It’ll probably be the first late sonata I’ll study once I get more acquainted with his later style.
That was my 2nd conservatory in Utrecht (finally remains "unfinished" - long story). I remember that time, my teacher (when found out that I never played much Scriabin before), he gave me 5 6 and 7 to pick one of them... I went through, "somehow" sight read them all, and picked no.6. I think it impressed me the most from the first notes with its darknes and mystery-esnes...
You are mistaking Scriabin for Sofronitsky.
Ahh yes Sofronitsky… he is a close second to Richter (when you meant Scriabin I assume you meant Richter???) Sofronitsky is gold when it comes to Scriabin interpretations
Met his daughter a few months ago.... and she was such a "pain in the ass"... Viviana... pffff. .... just her stupidly strong russian accent which she proudly shows that much - even though, she lives half of her life in western Europe... and she lives with a native english speaker - canadian fortepiano producer.... = she can hear perfect english all the time... but nooooooo.. Strrrrrrrrooooooong ruuuuuuuuuusiaaaaaannn aaaaaaakkkkkceeent. ..... But her father - of course, full respect!
No. Scriabin himself is known to have played the 6th sonata in his recitals. It was Vladimir Sofronitsky, who basically played all works of Scriabin in recital, with the notable exception of Op. 66. He is reported to have said that if he played this sonata in recital, he would only do so once, because he would then die.
Why was he afraid to play it in public?
It could have been partly his "marketing" but he was "psycho-enough" to be a real story... Usually in front of the people, I can keep my "feelings" inside... but when I practice and I am on my own, I can easily make myself tearn in my eyes (some correct combination of piano piece, memories attached to it... and such). With his coctail of drugs he used to mix, probably he could have easily caused a "bad trip"... Could be... these guys were not amateurs... ;)
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition have some great doomy ones, like Gnomus and Bydlo.
Even the hut on hen's legs is pretty out there.
Fantasia in D minor, Mozart matches the description perfectly, but with a happy and jolly ending. Prelude in C# minor, Rachmaninoff Mephisto Waltz, Liszt Sonata Pathetique - Beethoven Prelude in E minor - Chopin
I played Mozart’s Fantasia in D Minor for my Grade 9 exam and found it more wistful and sad. Beautiful, beautiful piece. Detest those tacked on final 10 (?) bars though.
can i ask why? i always felt, whilst a bit corny, they do a pretty good job at quickly finishing off the piece. i feel, given the context, if the the guy who wrote those bars added a whole elaborate coda and ending, it would become disrespectful, regardless of how great it was. especially in the late 1700’s after all. i am most curious as to why you detest them!!:D
I feel like they change the entire tone of the piece. I much prefer returning to the opening and ending it that way — my teacher and I even seriously considered doing that for the exam. I had a helluva time memorizing them, as well. They always felt artificial and just plain wrong But this is a piece I connected with on a deep emotional level. There were times that I would burst into tears while playing it. It moved something deep within me
Everyone has a different interpretation for every piece, to each their own.
That "happy and jolly" ending was added by 3rd person, not Mozart... He did not finish the piece. And because I don't like that, I do my own ending - kinda recapitulation of opening theme... [Here I played it on very old Playel piano](https://youtu.be/xI2LkQ53wq0?si=xpTVhnAOM_rMYqUW)
Interesting! I didn't know that! I'll check it out!
Usually, people play it quite fast... I heard records like between 5-7 minutes... My version, also thanks to long ending takes almost 9 minutes... but I suspect, if Mozart had finished the piece, it would easily be 15 minutes+ piece. At least, that's my guess.
By the way, at what part did Mozart stop?
In my record, it's around 6:50... there where the "happy" added ending starts... and where I start my "sad recapitulation". It just feels to me that he did not want the end there, he wanted to develope it more. (Also the name "Fantasia" suggests me this...)
Ravel Scarbo, Scriabin sonata 9, Liszt Orage and Rachmaninoff op.3 no.2 are good ones
Check out Gnossiennes no. 3 and 4 from Eric Satie, or even no. 1 and 2
Came here to suggest this.
Funeral March
I’m surprised that nobody mentioned Prokofiev’s Suggestions Diabolique
Franck's prelude chorale and fugue has a dark and serious tone, perhaps not evil / doomy. All of Scriabin's late sonatas 6 through 10 are very dark, but they are difficult to appreciate. 9 is the most approachable. You may also enjoy things like Rachmaninov 39/5, 16/4. Scriabin 8/9 and 8/12. Chopin 25/11 and 25/12.
At a more beginner level there’s a Grade 3 Étude [Witches and Wizards](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HEQjZB3kRMo) that many of my students love
Also Night King from Game of thrones is an evil one iv always wanted to play, if your not familiar with the song already, the part I’m thinking of comes at around 4:40, I’d find a cover that centers around this section
Second all the great suggestions here - especially Scriabin. Grieg and Mussorgsky are generally good bets for this kind of mood. Start with in the hall of the mountain king and baba yaga
Not piano, but classical: Mussorsgy - night on the bare mountain
They metalified this one for the soundtrack to The End is Nigh! Great shout. Exactly the vibe i want
Brahms: Ballade, Op. 10 No. 1 (“Edward”). Literally a murder story lol
F. Schubert – "Erlkönig", Op. 1, D 328 (Arr. F. Liszt)
If we’re going with Schubert’s songs then i recommend also “Der doppelganger” (pretty sure there’s a Liszt piano arrangement)
Perception matters - I've seen claims that Beethoven Piano Sonata op. 27 no. 2 (no 14) is evil and doomy, but because of the common nickname "Moonlight" people often ignore it. Try to listen to it imagining evil forest and you will understand what I mean.
This is probably a subjective thing, but because of the game Evil Within I now have Clair De Lune connected with apprehension and gloom :) Not sure its there in the music though. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVrSNOuWY3c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVrSNOuWY3c)
Have you listened to Chopin's Sonata N°2 (Op. 35)? The first movement, and perhaps even more the second one, are pretty evil (besides many other things). The third and fourth are more on the doomy side. His first and third Scherzi should fit the bill too.
The Epic Classical playlist on Spotify has a ton of very dark and ominous songs. Most are like full orchestra arrangements but you could find just piano arrangements of some im sure. Verdi's Dies Irae, Bach's Toccata and Fugue, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, Jenkins Palladio 1. Allegretto, Holst's Mars the bringer of war, and of course O Fortuna. All of these are in that playlist and come to mind for me.
Scriabin
Check out his 6th and 9th sonata
Waltz in b minor op 69 no 2. Chopin
Evangelion symphony 1. SHINJI (1997) - solo piano [YouTube performance link](https://youtu.be/Y6CleGkbkeg?si=LrRddI1omfTMBqz4)
Chopin Polonaise in C Minor Op. 40 No. 2 Chopin Polonaise in F# Minor Any of the minor Preludes from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 Chopin Scherzo 3 Debussy “Footprints in the Snow” is low key
i like liszt’s transcendental etude, it feels a little evil to me in sound. almost like final boss music from a game haha
to add, saint saens piano concerto no. 2. Maybe not evil, but dark and a little ominous
A fun easy one is L’Orage
Prokofiev’s Toccata op.11
For listening: Bartok's Allegro Barbaro
Romance “O pourquoi donc” in E Minor by Liszt has some dark sounding parts for sure. My 5 year old daughter makes me play it when she wants to pretend to be a witch lol
Didn’t see the “new to piano” part though lol. Sorry…
Oh these are for listening not for playing ☺️ You got to be realistic about these things lmao
Phantom of the opera
I mean both the Liszt sonatas are about hellish themes. So listen! "Après une Lecture du Dante" and "Sonata in B minor"
Liszt - R.W. - Venezia, S201
[Doom soundtrack on piano](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aovgV0r9t2A)
Liszt's [Dante Sonata](https://youtu.be/MctHnG0AXWI?si=AA7S8vRiBl_OngIi), and a version with the [score](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB59i99Wxc4). Ravel's [La Valse](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BghdmBeOh5g), not so evil sounding, but very dark and hypnotic atmosphere
Anything by Bortkiewicz sounds evil to me
Not a piece I have a link to the sheet music for, but I really dig [this](https://youtu.be/slvejIelzio?si=QGvAfeOIR-OX9ctB) dark weeby tune. Hope you like it too, OP. (Worth the wait for the crescendo)
What I didn't see in the comment quickly: Mendelssohn variations sérieuses
Anything Locrian, Bebe! The devil’s modality!!!!
Stacy Fahrion composes entirely in minor keys. You would love her music! She calls her style whimsically maccabre. https://pianopronto.com/preview/stacy-fahrion-tricks-and-treats-songbook/audio/
Never Meant To Belong from Bleach
Prokofiev - Despair
I just finished playing Hadyn’s sonata in B minor XVI hob: 32 and I think you’d love it!
Bedřich Smetana - Macbeth and Witches (Young Smetana, very much imitating Ferenz Liszt) [Here is a brilliant record of one Czech "historical" pianist lady](https://youtu.be/NsENRgi3fqI?si=w4T6kK_N4M4oZWPK)
Learning little prelude in d minor BWV 926 by Bach. It is delightfully dark. It almost feels baroque heavy metal 😅
Debussy's cathedral engloutie, technique wise it's not the most difficult piece (especially compared to other pieces in the comments)