Barry E. Kopetz

In Darkest Night was composed to highlight the dark, thick and rich quality of the key of C minor. As musical keys have long been associated with various states of emotion, C minor has often been called the “key of darkness.” The slow introduction presents the primary theme in augmented fashion over a C pedal point, leading to the robust Allegro Ritmico. The theme is aggressive, poignant, terse, and yes . . . dark! The piece concludes with a series of rapid, pounding, off-beat C minor triads preceding the final chord.