Top 10 Darkest Viola Pieces Ever Written

When composers need to express a dark emotion such as grief, depression, or even terror, they often turn to the sound and character of the viola. Often, those pieces have ended up being the final works those composers ever wrote.
Number 1 on this list is currently my favorite piece, and it is probably the darkest musical work you will ever hear.
Vieuxtemps also wrote a gorgeous short piece called Capriccio for Solo Viola, but I only wanted to put one Vieuxtemps piece. On the same vein, Hindemith has a plethora of dark movements in his sonatas that could deserve a spot on this list. I just chose the work of his which I thought was darkest.
How many of these pieces had you heard of before? Do you know one you think I have missed? Let me know in the comments!
Links (DON'T SPOIL THE VIDEO FOR YOURSELF BY PEEKING AT THEM!)
Vieuxtemps Elegy: • Henri Vieuxtemps: Eleg...
Wieniawksi Reverie: • Ken Hamao plays viola:...
Glazunov Elegy: • Glazunov Elegie for vi...
Liszt Romance Oubliee: • An Imperfect Instrumen...
Britten Elegy: • Benjamin Britten - Ele...
Ligeti Sonata: • Yana Kucherova - Gyorg...
Hindemith Trauermusik: • Paul Hindemith: Trauer...
Howells Elegy: • Howells Elegy Op.15 - ...
Stravinsky Elegy: • Igor Strawinsky: Élegi...
Shostakovich Sonata: • Dmitri Shostakovich - ...

[@ViolaKing]

Number 1 on the list is currently my favorite piece (I’m also learning it)! Also the Vieuxtemps Elegy is in F minor instead of C minor as someone pointed out-my apologies! I realized that makes the keys of the first 3 pieces f, f#, and g minor all in a row. Maybe I am just a nerd but I find that oddly satisfying haha

[@kelvinp.coleman563]

That's cool, F minor is darker than C minor anyway. 😁 I don't really care for the Ligeti, or at least the first movement with the microtones, because no matter how deliberately it's been composed it just ends up sounding like a second-rate player hitting too many wrong notes, and there are more than enough unhelpful jokes about that sort of thing already. Perhaps it'd be easier to appreciate the conceptual intent if it were played on an instrument that doesn't routinely get trashed by non-experts - maybe give it to the clarinet, which often has a similar expressive quality to the viola (as well as almost the same range), and which is "easier" to "keep in tune", so that the deviations from standard harmonic writing will actually be recognised as a deliberate artistic choice by the majority of mainstream listening audiences.

[@Someone2464-]

Same i am a trumpet player but I like the dark emotion it shows a statement that Shostakovich is leaving us with and pain Shostakovich experienced.

[@SSAviation737]

Wow. The negative emotions of each piece are so deeply conveyed with the viola. Of course Shostakovich would be on the list, considering what he has been through.

[@ViolaKing]

They sure are, that’s why it is such a special instrument

[@henrigraber2741]

Does negative emotions exist ? I am not sure.

[@SSAviation737]

@@henrigraber2741 Yep

[@henrigraber2741]

"negative" would mean, in my view, this sort of emotion should not exist. But all kind of emotions have their place in our existence.

[@SSAviation737]

@@henrigraber2741 Well said.

[@lovebug2207]

I learned how to play the Viola in 7th grade I almost got to play at the Hershey Symphony in Pennsylvania. When that fell through I felt even more sadness at such an early age. The Viola was my first love and we understood one another. Time to buy a new 1 and pick up where I left off Thank you for sharing this video

[@elissahunt]

I love this video! It clearly shows how lovely and expressive the viola can be. Yes, the pieces are dark, but they are also beautiful. And the video highlights not just some amazing pieces, but some terrific violists as well. Excellently done.

[@ViolaKing]

I always end up discovering more great violists when I make videos

[@Casutama]

Wow, I didn't think I'd see you in this comment section! I'm glad you love this video as much as I do!

[@elissahunt]

@@Casutama I've been a fan of James since his original channel. He may have had a few hundred followers then, I don't recall. He's an amazing violist, and I love his content. I don't play viola, though it was my very first instrument. I had a horrible teacher who made me hate playing. Fortunately, instead of quitting altogether, I switched to clarinet.

[@cindyrubinfine2941]

Brandenburg #6❤

[@youzhang5018]

Hey viola king! can you do a video which you rank viola pieces in a tier list in terms of difficulty like the one twoset did. I believe It'll be really helpful for lot of people

[@ViolaKing]

That sounds like a fun idea, thanks!

[@telebtw5697]

@@ViolaKing bump

[@pibbles-a-plenty1105]

Listening to sad music helps greatly to unburden myself from grief, anger and loneliness. I believe such works are a major pillar of the classical music genre. The viola is most expressive in this regard. Thank you.

[@jameslewis4059]

Hi James. I'm James and a violist too. Hi. Yay for the viola.

[@aidenplaysgames9905]

Great list! Lovee the shosty sonata. If this was the top 11 darkest pieces I'd add the frank bridge lament for 2 violas. Thanks for introducing me to the Stravinsky elegy!

[@ViolaKing]

Bridge is an excellent piece and certainly very dark. Chamber music wasn’t on my mind when I was making this list but it would definitely qualify since it’s comprised of 2 violas

[@masantonio8790]

The Vieuxtemps Elegie is in F Minor :) Anyways, nice list. The Elegie is also a super fun to play piece. Honorable mention IMO is the Schnittke Viola Concerto.

[@ViolaKing]

Agh ur completely right! And I even played it before too lol. This is what I get for doing my work in the AM hours…

[@abigailcrossman3373]

Definitely the Schnittke- So beautifully painful. Agree with Shostakovich sonata- really depressing and also Stravinsky Elegy- so lonely. None of this music should be listened to by anyone with suicidal tendencies! Not a viola piece, but Britten’s violin concerto (the recording by Lorraine McAslan) is so sad and poignant. I’m always in tears at the end and I’m not even that sort of person.

[@prestonelliott24]

i recently played trauermusik at a competition and i think the reason it is so hard is cuz of the really high musical expectation. if u play the piece like a robot u arent doing the piece justice. the more musicality u can add to it the better the piece will sound

[@Casutama]

I keep recommending this video to people because it explains so well, with so many music examples, and at the same time so succinctly, many of the things I have come to love about the viola. Thanks for making this!

[@tonkaphilips4674]

great video! I would also include alfred schnittkes viola concerto, specificly for one moment in which the viola and the piano play a simple, hopefull and yearning melody in an upwards sequence, but the strings slowly grow louder and louder with a disturbing cluster. that contrast gives me chills every time.

[@randylarosa7381]

most excellent .Did you forget Fredrick Bridge, Sir Arnold Bax, Percy Grainger.

[@unbekannternutzer25]

Glasunov's elegy is my favourite piece for viola. But I listened to too much metal to get how sad it's supposed to be. At this point it's just a nice piece to me :)

[@ViolaKing]

The melody been stuck in my head often since I made this video

[@MILAMGM]

Playing #2 🎻It breaks my heart every time 💔

[@ViolaKing]

It’s on my bucket list as well. Good luck!

[@ClassicalMusicbyRLLarsen-jp4rj]

Hooray for the viola! I love writing for it and giving it more chances to shine in quartets and small ensembles. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@Cherry_sew_sweet]

I love Shostakovich even though it makes me cry lol. Soviet composers were just a different breed

[@gabriellag1424]

Great list! Also Penderecki Viola Concerto (or Cadenza) would fit into it.

[@ViolaKing]

The cadenza definitely has some painful moments with all of the dissonances written in. There’s a case to be made for the full concerto as well but I ended up steering away from concerti since I felt the virtuosic element made them less sincerely expressive

[@gabriellag1424]

@@ViolaKing I only played the Concerto, not the Cadenza. I always felt that the second part of the Concerto(with the chromatic/virtuosic elements) express a lot of struggeling and pain. I think in this case virtuosity serves to express the deep meaning of the Concerto. But it is definetly not the case in every concerti.

[@neilcam]

A truly excellent list and a big part of why I love the viola so much!

[@cosnzaidm5024]

Nice, I’m a sucker for solemn and dramatic pieces. And a piece with microtones? I wanna try it sometime …

[@ViolaKing]

Ligeti is probably one of the hardest pieces on this list partially for that reason-go for it!

[@songfulmusicofsongs]

Thank you for the wonderful list! It's very interesting. Viola is an amazing instrument, an these pieces show how great it can be. It's such a nice video! Now I will be able to discover new colors that viola can express!

[@oxoelfoxo]

always like these types of videos. must look up the full length vids when the mood strikes.

[@grahamexeter3399]

Wonderful compilation of beautiful dark works for my favourite string instrument. Thanks so much for including the Liszt ! He's so rarely taken into consideration as a chamber music composer, and the Romance and 2 Elegies deserve to be much better known. Your list plus Liszt's Elegies, Martinu's Rhapsody-Concerto, Britten's Lachrymae and Holst's Lyric Movement - another last work - would be my Top 15 darkest viola works. Plus there are plenty more! - e.g. Grisey, Dufourt, Gubaidulina and Kancheli - all dark, dark, dark ... and fabulous!

[@themusiccovenant]

Amazing 👏

[@ClassicalRaritiesChannel]

Nice compilation. Where is Schnittke's Concerto though!! 🙂

[@songfulmusicofsongs]

It's never too late. It can be an opportunity for more interesting content.

[@ViolaKing]

I was considering this and some other concerti such as Walton and Bartok. There’s certainly a case to be made for them, but I felt like the virtuosic element of them took away from the purity of a piece written only from a place of bedding to express a deep feeling. I also felt somewhat this way about the vieuxtemps elegy which is why it was lowest on my list

[@lpldl]

This is a fantastic list. But may I add two pieces into consideration? Berio's Sequenza VI for Viola, which is a vortex of aggressiveness. And Shostakovich's 13th String Quartet, which does center around the viola. Talk about hopelessness.

[@lpldl]

And if we count string quartet pieces, Janacek's 2nd string quartet (Intimate Letters) is an extremely devastating piece. And it does highlights the viola quite often.

[@ViolaKing]

Berio crossed my mind but I felt like no one would want to listen to it because it’s so harsh! I would put it #1 on a list of difficult pieces though. As for chamber, dark viola-featuring pieces could make a whole other video

[@lpldl]

@@ViolaKing That's very true... I watched a video with Amihai Grosz performing Berio which was fantastic. After that I sought out a recording and couldn't finish it... It's just so... noisy... I guess the visual added something to it. I'd be very happy if you made a chamber version of this list.😂 And of course there're the dark, viola-featuring orchestral pieces like Mahler 10... I mean who said viola doesn't have a repertoire?😅

[@pabproductions9166]

I’d add Charles Koechlin Viola Sonata near the top of the list. Absolute technical monster of a piece but goes into some really dark places. He wrote it at the closing of WWI, having volunteered as an ambulance operator for the wounded.

[@theMMAdhatter]

Howell's Elegy has always been my favourite, if only for its backstory, and the unique way in which it uses both a soloist and a quartet within the orchestral setting. But Vieuxtemps and Glazunov have always been right behind (because I'm basic AF and love me some romance lol) But I think a few of these wouldn't be out of place in a "darkest viola pieces" lineup: Forsyth's Chanson Celtique Joachim's Hebräische Melodien Pártos' Yizkor Jongen's Suite for Viola and Orchestra (esp. the first movement, Poème Élégiaque) Bridge's Lament for Two Violas (it easily edges out his Pensiero imo) Hovhaness' Chahagir Kancheli's Styx Lowry's Romanza for Four Violas Le Beau's Nachtstück (from Three Pieces)

[@markcharles8781]

Thank you

[@kalinditrue]

Great list! I was hoping to hear you talk about the Penderecki Cadenza. It’s just so apocalyptic and devastating! Maybe we need a part two to this video? 😉

[@Reioloshi]

Speaking of Violas being able to express sadness, I played my favorite piece, Chanson Triste (Tchaikovsky) and once i played like the first 6 measures, my teacher told me to stop playing it because it sounded sad lol

[@googleuser2691]

Mr. King, if my mother was apart of the Dallas symphony and my grandmother was a instrumental teacher in Cuba and somehow it passed on to me where ive learned to play the euphonium, tuba, piano, trumpet and some Bass clarinet.. even though it's been so many years since I've played anyting do you think it would be just as easy to learn Viola, a string instrument that I have never even touched.. There is so much music like this or climactic music from movies where I feel everything and hear every little detail, it brings me great emotion and it's always been a dream to start on my own and just start learning so one day i can join an Orchestra. But with life and having to pay bills.. it just doesn't seem very feasible even with my musical Talent

[@alectronablack555]

I love this video, King. More! More!! More!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@RomanGolubev_A]

Not quite dark, but rather, as you said yourself, mixed emotions.

[@frankiestevonson7496]

I played elegie for my music extension music and man I love it

[@josemotta9560]

Foi vendo esta senhora tocar esta música e ao falar da viola que comprei a minha

[@Violamanben]

This is a great list and embarrassingly had more than one piece with which I was unfamiliar. I must admit I prefer to weep diatonically. I’ve heard the Shostakovich multiple times and it never grew on me.

[@ivanpotter4634]

What do you think about Viola Concerto & Orchestra composed by Sofiya Gubaidulina, or Viola Concerto & Chamber Orchestra composed by Krzysztof Penderecki? Gubaidulina - Viola Concerto is a masterpiece written especially as a tribute to Yuri Bashmett, for his exceptional viola virtuosity. I've heard many opinions about this piece, I know it, and I've also read that it is probably considered the best concerto ever written for this amazing instrument. One can also mention her concerto for two violas "Two Patts". I wanted to ask what do you think about these works? The same questions I have about Krzysztof Penderecki and his also known Concerto for viola and chamber orchestra. He became famous for this piece as a gift to Hugo Chavez at a celebration. I hope for an answer and best regards. I like your collection. Hence my questions about the opinion of my proposals. 🙂🤝🏻🎻

[@christophzayas8613]

I love dark music ❤

[@slicedthree80_43]

I studied under the same person as the woman who played #7

[@42pyroboy]

viola gang

[@MercurialMoon]

I absolutely love romance oubliee

[@totalblxck]

Why doesn't anyone talk about dark evil (angry) orchestral music? where and how to find it? Phrygian, Locrian type vibe and so on. Not a "dark" as gloomy daub, but an aggressive sound "to the face" btw last one piece was close

[@kronoscamron7412]

How do you get two violists to play together in time? Shoot one of them.

[@PM_ME_MESSIAEN_PICS]

where's the schnittke concerto

[@daviddazasuarez2947]

🧐🧐🧐 It would have been wonderful to hear Yuri Bashmet’s version of the Schostakowitsch viola sonata…

[@jwhite3578]

Walton concerto is pretty dark

[@user-qj6lt7ir4u]

Thomaso Albimoni

[@lazycat724]

Your voiceover audio is much louder than the music which is note optimal

[@LukosCelestou]

What’s the song that goes (A# A G C#) then goes (A# A {D E F#)

[@lucyp863]

2 set violin be like: lol

[@DmitriShostakovichDSCH]

i was just a bit extra like that. sorry 😅

[@IsaacParkViolin]

!

[@yassinebien]

Hi😉, I research about Some Piece but i can't find it please contact me at comment 🥰🥰

[@yassinebien]

The piece is this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3zLZKBnbtZsgs0

[@lizziesmusicmaking]

Why listen to dark music? Catharsis. The same thing the ancient greeks sought when they invented tragedy.

[@wakingtheworld]

Pity you had to talk through most of the music... we needed the info though... and guess it invites us to check out the full versions... Had you allowed more uninterrupted listening time, the vid would probably have run to 20 minutes...

[@kennielsen8554]

No, you are wrong. Viola sounds beautiful and only beautiful. You are the thing that is grief, depression and terror.

[@joseph2832]

Bullshit

[@marywayzee]

Why are you talking over the music? It totally ruined my experience of watching this video.