It\u2019s been hailed as \u201cthe saddest of all keys.\u201d Andras Schiff called it \u201cBeethoven\u2019s key of existential struggle.\u201d It was Brahms\u2019s Tragic key- the world of his brooding First Piano Concerto and his Tragic Overture- both quite symphonic works. Yet Brahms never wrote a D minor symphony- maybe the thought of writing a whole symphony in the saddest of all keys was just too scary to contemplate for even so dark a chap as Brahms.<\/p>\n
In fact- one of the striking commonality on this list is how few D minor symphonies end in D minor, and the list includes several of the most inspirationally affirmative creations in any medium ever created by human kind. Perhaps more than any other key, D minor seems to be an obstacle to be overcome, the key great composers struggle to escape. In that sense, it really is the most Beethovenian of keys.<\/p>\n
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15- Shostakovich Symphony no. 12<\/strong>
\nFew works ever written suffer from as dodgy a reputation as this one. Shostakovich\u2019s own comments on the piece were so laced with contradictions and doublespeak that they\u2019ve only fuelled critical scepticism. I never worried too much about the programmatic elements or the critical barbs, and neither should you- put it on, turn the stereo up to \u201cwhoa boy\u201d loud and prepare to be blown away. I grew up with Haitink\u2019s fantastic Concertgebouw recording which has the advantage of including a great overture that nobody knows, the Overture on Russian and Khirgiz Folk Themes. But I don\u2019t think you can expect to hear many more exiting performances of anything than the video of Mravinsky on scary form with the Leningrad Phil.<\/p>\n