Instrumental / classical pieces of music to cry to

[Shudacudawuda]

The title sounds sad doesn't it! But I mean this in a healthy 'emotional release' kind of way. Keeps me balanced.

I currently have a favourite piece of music that often moves me to tears and very occasionally I like to submerge myself in it and let the tears come.
It's called Shape of my Heart by Michael Logozar and it's absolutely beautiful.

I'd love some suggestions for other pieces like this if anyone has any? I can't keep listening to the same piece over and over again.
Do others do this too or am I a very sad individual?

What about this from Handel?

What about this from Handel?

What about this from Handel?

Excellent thread... I'll be making a Spotify list from this!

I love a bit of Philip Glass, and these pieces are beautiful and "sad":
'Opening' from Glassworks
'Islands' also from Glassworks
'Metamorphosis 2'
'The Hours'
'Ahknaten' act one

I love this combination of username and post.

Going Home by Dire Straits (theme from Local Hero) - haunting and wistful and beautiful

Ditto to Adagio for Strings, and the theme from Schindler’s List.

Another is a recording of a niece’s solo of Panis Angelicus with her school choir. She had a very pure, sweet soprano (says she can’t hit the top notes any more 🙁) and to me it’s more achingly moving than any other version I’ve ever heard. We played it at my mother’s funeral.

Seconding Spiegel im Spiegel and The swan of Tuonela and adding the Adagio from Brahms' first piano concerto.

Scriabin Piano Concerto, second movement.

Pavane pour une infante défunte. By Ravel , best played by Philippe Entremont.

Adagio from Spartacus is beautiful

Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn

Vide cor meum is breathtakingly beautiful aria composed by Irish composer Patrick Cassidy, based on Dante Alighieri's Vita Nova, specifically on the sonnet A ciascun'alma presa, third chapter. It’s a guaranteed tear jerker. One of the most poignant pieces ever composed.

The comments alone will make you cry 😢

Albinoni's Adagio. Every flipping time. It is just so beautiful

Les Larmes de Jacqueline - Offenbach
The Field of the Dead (from "Alexander Nevsky") - Prokofiev (not instrumental, though)
Valse Triste - Sibelius

Music from the pianist, I think it connects me to the film which is so heartbreaking

this is very atmospheric:

Vaughan Williams, fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis

Cornfield Chase by Hans Zimmer, from the film Interstellar. I adore it. I love the film and part of that is the music.

I know it has already been suggested, but very specifically this performance of the Barber Adagio, from the Proms three days after 9/11

Oh yes, one of my absolute favourites, that whole soundtrack.

Khachaturian's Spartacus. Wept when I heard it live

I wouldn't usually recommend single movements of symphonies, but since you gave us a specific brief, the final movement of Mahler's 3rd symphony (langsam—ruhevoll—empfunden) is a wonderful section to listen to in a dark room:

Speaking of dark rooms, I love to listen to the 12 o'clock sections of Vangelis's Heaven & Hell as I fall asleep, particularly part 2 (begins at 31'58"):

(ends at 37'30")

Fantastic thread thank you

I was coming to say this. I think it's possibly my favourite piece of music of all time, though it has got to be Vladimir Ashkenazy for me.

First Impressions, by Edgar Meyer/Mark O'Connor/Yo Yo Ma.

Schubert Impromptu no. 4 in A flat major - specifically the recording by David Fray. I heard it on the radio years ago and loved it so much that I bought the whole CD of Impromptus