What is the saddest...

[Nihilen]

I don't know that I can beat Barber's Adagio, but if you're not already familiar with it, I'd recommend:

Henryk Gorecki's Symphony no. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"

It has three movements, and at least some of them are too long for youtube, sadly. You can get a good taste of it from youtube at least though.

Part of the first movement (but not starting at the beginning and cutting off the very end, sadly):

YouTube - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs - Henryk Górecki - 1st movement
The beginning is a very gradual but very beautiful build up to a wonderful climax, that then is brought down leading into the singer at the beginning of that link.

Second movement:
YouTube - Gorecki Symphony No. 3 "Sorrowful Songs" - Lento e Largo

I'm sure you can find at least parts of the 3rd too if you want. I'd also encourage you to look up the context it was written in and a translation of the lyrics, at least if you like it. And of course, as with any song like this, only listen when you can give it the attention it deserves. Hope you enjoy!

Ah, it pains me to listen to mutilated symphonies.
Loved it, so I just listened to the beginning; I should get the whole thing to listen to it properly.

 

[Kalach]

If Hurt is sad, then...

Radiohead - Exit Music (Live, Belfort 97)

I realise of course it's hard to tell if it's sadness or it's anger or it's both.

I always think of it as Romeo's song, only he knows what's coming.


Supposedly, both Trent Reznor and Thom Yorke are INTJ. Yay us.

 

[Eileen]

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy

Oh man, yeah.

 

[Ivy]

Tedious downers with mushy unoriginal lyrics are not what I meant by 'saddest'.

Jesus, you're as bad as Uber about making these kinds of requests and then being ungrateful when people try to participate.

 

[The Ü™]

I like it when Jesus and my name are in the same sentence.

 

[colmena]

Why Spain specifically ? There are none I recall from Spain, but here's one in Spanish I particularly enjoy:

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCg_yoUXMbE"]De cara a la pared - Lhasa[/YOUTUBE]

Ahh, I had Lhasa's records on my old computer. It made for a pleasant off-shoot from Nuevo Tango (Which, of course, began with Tosca Tango in Waking Life). Maybe try Calexico's Untitled tracks on Hot Rail (with sub-woofer way up). 'though it's more space than intensity.

 

[Nihilen]

Ahh, I had Lhasa's records on my old computer. It made for a pleasant off-shoot from Nuevo Tango (Which, of course, began with Tosca Tango in Waking Life). Maybe try Calexico's Untitled tracks on Hot Rail (with sub-woofer way up).

Icelandic band Sigur Rós' ( ) album just came to my mind, all the songs in it are untitled, and sang in a made up nonsensical language.

My favourite is Untitled 7, I found parts of it all butchered on youtube.

'though it's more space than intensity.

Give me intense then.

 

[Gish]

Sigur Rós - Untitled #8

I love Sigur Rós perhaps a bit too much, Untitled #8 is also another good song from the ( ) album AKA Popplagið or The Screaming Masterpiece.

 

[Jack Flak]

I always come back to this one if I'm feelin' melancholic.

Ignore the video. Toadies: Dollskinl

 

[disregard]

rob dougan -- nothing at all

 

[phoenix13]

...Most heart-trenching, tragic, dramatic, emotional song/music you have ever listened to ?

Easy. Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8
Movt. I (depressing):
YouTube - Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (I)
Movt. II (bitter aggressive):
YouTube - Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (II)
Movt. III (insane/ devil's dance):
YouTube - Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (III)
Movt. IV (horror + struggle):
YouTube - Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (IV)
Movt. V (despair):
YouTube - Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor (V)

Tragic/dramatic award also goes to Mahler Symphony No. 6, last movement

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 last movement is also heart wrenching.

Shostakovich violin concerto No. 1, first and third movements.

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suite: At the Grave of Juliette

Gorecki's Third Symphony second movt.- maybe not dramatic, but definitely sad

 

[redacted]

...Most heart-trenching, tragic, dramatic, emotional song/music you have ever listened to ?

A few come to mind:

H. - Tool
Jimmy - Tool
Pyramid Song - Radiohead
How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead
One Bedroom Apartment - Clann Zu
Heart Attack in a Lay By - Porcupine Tree
Eraser - Nine Inch Nails
Somewhat Damaged - Nine Inch Nails

 

[Ivy]

how could I have forgotten this one?

[youtube="swkT07TP-mo"]Mozart - Requiem[/youtube]

(My apologies if someone posted it and I missed it)

Another classic:

[youtube=ChtL5yUuSVY]Chopin Ballade #1 from The Pianist[/youtube]

[youtube=oA0kXDMKiLg]Rachmaninov piano concerto #3[/youtube]

 

[Ivy]

[youtube="D3Blm2qWduY"]Sibelius - Valse Triste[/youtube]

 

[Noel]

[youtube=h7PR2AfCvUw]Franz Schubert - Winterreise - Gute Nacht[/youtube]

 

[Tiltyred]

YouTube - Jessye Norman - A Portrait - When I Am Laid In Earth (Purcel

 

[ragashree]

Tragic/dramatic award also goes to Mahler Symphony No. 6, last movement

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 last movement is also heart wrenching.

I'll second those two, which were the first to come to my mind when I saw the initial question; I'd personally call the second more sad/sorrowful than anything else, but this is a shade of opinion. By coincidence I was listening to Tchaikovsky 6th only about half an hour ago, having not done so for a while The first movement would score pretty highly in the dramatic and emotional stakes too, particularly the fortissimo section. Given the ironic exposition of thwarted aspirations in the middle two movements, I really don't feel too surprised that he was feeling in a mood to *probably* take his own life shortly after he completed this work. Staying on the classical theme, one or two others spring to mind, not necessarily exhaustive:

Dramatic: Mars from Holst's Planets Suite (I used to play this at full volume when I took a dislike to the neighbours ); Mahler 1st symphony, final movement; Tchaikovsky 4th, 1st movement in particular (that repeated opening motif) YouTube - Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, 1st mvmt (1st half)

Emotional/heart wrenching in a more positive sense: Franck's piano quintet, romantically; Messiaen's Quartet for the End of time, particularly movents 5 and 8 *more spiritural, perhaps* YouTube - Kyung Wha Chung plays Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time; on another kind of scale, the last choral part of Mahler's 8th symphony if you can take that much bombast, this one also scores pretty spectacularly on the dramatic front YouTube - Mahler - Symphony No. 8 - Ending (Rattle, NYOGB)

Tragic: Babi Yar symphony by Shostakovich, 1st movement in particular, though you probably need to understand more russian than me to get the full effect YouTube - Babi Yar Requiem

Well, these will do for now...

 

[Quinlan]

The second half of this:

[YOUTUBE="5fG0vK0CsEw"]The Lion King - To Die For[/YOUTUBE]

 

[lane777]

To The Stars - Randy Edelman

Hymn for Gandalf - Howard Shore

Less Than Zero - Thomas Newman

It doesn't matter - Alison Krauss

Blackout - Muse

Love Song Requiem - Trading Yesterday

Fool of Me - Me'shell Ndegeocello

 

[wolfy]

Pretty much all of Johnny Cash's American Recordings Series