The most intense ending in a piece of music

[Bonehelm]

Any thoughts? Some that came up my mind instantly are:

Beethoven's 9th symphony 1st movement
Mahler's 2nd symphony finale
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1, finale

And just to prevent any arguments: the definition of intense is up to you, a strong ending, an explosive one, one that sends shivers down your spine, speeds up your heartbeat, punches you in the gut....whatever.

Have fun.

[71 dB]

Elgar: The Apostles: The Ascension

[hornteacher]

Beethoven 9th - 1st mvt, 2nd mvt, and finale
Tchaikovsky 4th - finale
Shostakovich 5th - finale
Dvorak Cello Concerto - 1st mvt
Dvorak 8th - finale
Dvorak 9th - 1st mvt and finale
Holst - Mars
Beethoven 7th - finale
Beethoven 5th - 1st and 4th mvts
Rachmaninov PC2 - 1st and 3rd mvts

[hornteacher]

the definition of intense is up to you, one that speeds up your heartbeat,

.......anything that Hilary plays. 

[Scriptavolant]

No doubt: the Unfinished by Schubert, first movement.

[longears]

Barber violin concerto

[Robert]

Any thoughts? Some that came up my mind instantly are:

Beethoven's 9th symphony 1st movement
Mahler's 2nd symphony finale
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1, finale

And just to prevent any arguments: the definition of intense is up to you, a strong ending, an explosive one, one that sends shivers down your spine, speeds up your heartbeat, punches you in the gut....whatever.

Have fun.

Prokofiev Piano Concerto 3
Marttinen, Symphony 1 op2

[Mark]

When the organ erupts at the start of the finale to Saint-Saens' Third Symphony. Enough to loosen teeth with the right recording. And possibly one's bowel, with the right hifi equipment.

[Harry]

When the organ erupts at the start of the finale to Saint-Saens' Third Symphony. Enough to loosen teeth with the right recording. And possibly one's bowel, with the right hifi equipment.

For the bowels I am responsable!
My Pass 350X will do that nicely.

[Harry]

Dido's lament! 0:)

[Tsaraslondon]

A few to be going on with:

Mahler: 6th Symphony
Tchaikovsky: 6th Symphony - can be utterly draining if done right
Verdi: Otello
Bellini: Norma
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde
Verdi: Requiem

[Mark]

The closing part of the third movement of Tippett's Concerto for Double String Orchestra. Utterly, intensely exhilarating.

[BachQ]

Coda of 1st mvt of Brahms 4th Symphony
Coda of 1st mvt of Brahms 1st piano concerto
Ending of 3rd mvt of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto

[from the new world]

Shostakovich String Quartet no. 13. One very long piercing note that crescendos.
Mahler Symphony no. 9. Four very long held extremely quiet notes, where the audience must not make a sound or else break up the tension.

[techniquest]

I decided to split this between loud and quiet endings, but all are conclusions to the work rather than the 1st or 3rd movement therein. There are so many, but these are the ones that come to mind straight away.
1. Loud:
Mahler 2 (especially the Segerstam and Caetani recordings)
Mahler 8 (best I've heard are Tennstedt live RFH, 1991 and the old Wyn Morris recording)
Walton 1
Respighi 'Pines of Rome'
Prokofiev 'Zdravitsa'
Ravel 'La Valse'

2. Quiet:
Shostakovich 15
Vaughan Williams 'Sinfonia Antarctica'
Shchedrin 'Anna Karenina' ballet
Rimsky Korsakov 'Scheherazade'
Hovahaness 'Fra Angelico'

 

[George]

I love the intensely gentle final bars of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and Shosty's 10th symphony.

[Sergeant Rock]

The most intense ending of a piece of music I've ever heard is the conclusion of the third movement (Vivace), Part I, of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony (the First, in D minor). Malcolm MacDonald explains:

"The music heaves like a plain on which great armies are embattled. Side-drum and upper woodwind beat out a manic pounding rhythm against which strings play a tough ostinato. Bassoons and tubas make a bass of the "saurian" theme in altered rhythm, while the rest of the brass have the lions's share of glory in a vast series of canonic entries. Trumpets and cornets ring out proudly above the storm, with a note of victory, a sense of triumph and exultation (which must have been Brian's own as he came to the end of this superb movement). The music soars in boundless confidence; harps, xylophone and organ enter with more ostinati; and suddenly it is the climax of the Part I. Brian flings the music back into the home key of D minor with a cadence of astonishing boldness:



From C major to D minor by way of F sharp, all in three triads: it is the sensational juxtaposition of C and F sharp that is so exhilarating [and shocking, terrifying--Sarge]. Brian has discovered his full powers. He can stride from one end of the tonal universe to the other in a split second: he can make a single cadence bear the dramatic weight of an entire movement. This is the victory of imagination over form.

Back in D minor the music rises to a pinnacle of grandeur before all the instruments hammer home the chord of D, fortissimo, only to be shut out with heart-stopping suddeness. There is a pause, then quietness--a high tremolo in the violins, a soft meditative glow from the bassoons, barely audible timpani to assure us the world is still spinning. Part I of the Gothic ends in a serenely spaced D major triad, adorned with harp arpeggios."

Sarge

[Mozart]

Don Giovanni, the chorus of devils is awesome!

Tuo a tue colpe è poco!
Vieni, c'è un mal peggior!

[Marc]

I've seen some great examples mentioned already.

The first three that came in mind were: Mahler 2, Tchaikovsky 6, and Bach's Johannes-Passion: Ach Herr, laß dein lieb' Engelein. That choral is so touching, but it also slams me, as a non-believer, in the face.

I also thought of Bruckner 9, first movement.

But of course, Purcell's Dido and Mahler 9 are very very moving, too. And the final bars of Schubert's Unfinished/part one! Good find!

And what about his Winterreise?

Wunderlicher Alter,
Soll ich mit dir geh'n?
Willst zu meinen Liedern
Deine Leier dreh'n?

[Bonehelm]

Oh I forgot to add Schubert's 9th symphony 1st movement (The one that begins with french horns..is it the 1st movement? correct me if I'm wrong).