Among the darkest, scariest and most moving pieces ever is the Schubert
Quintet in c. I think we get a chance to peer into a composer's soul in
the pit of despair. Years ago I heard the Guarneri do this at the Y in NY
and felt I was watching a composer stand on a high ledge and only by the
slimmest margin come back without jumping. The "lighter" final movement
doesn't, to me, signal a real victory over darkness. Do others have the
same feeling about this extraordinary work.
Another work that peers into the dark night of the human soul is Schubert's
"Winterreise."
Most of the other dark works mentioned fall into the "boo!" category. I'm
also not sure how "Carmina Burana" got into this -- it has to be one of the
great fun works around, even if not much for the roasting swan!
Eric
(who's listening to the Water Music, the opposite of "dark")