8 favorite symphonic endings

Started by kyjo, May 29, 2022, 08:16:18 PM

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kyjo

I don't believe this has been done before! I'm referring to just the final few minutes (coda) of a work, not its entire final movement btw.

Arnold 5 (devastating!)
Atterberg 3 (glorious!)
Braga Santos 4 (exultant!)
Honegger 3 (redemptive!)
Magnard 4 (visionary!)
Mozart 41 (brilliant!)
Prokofiev 5 (coruscating!)
Rachmaninov 1 (crushing!)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

LKB

Beethoven Symphonies 3 & 9
Bruckner Symphonies 4 & 5
Mahler Symphonies 1-3 & 8
Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen...

Wanderer

Brahms 2
Sibelius 7
Elgar 2
Messiaen Turangalîla
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Bruckner 3
Vaughan Williams 9
Mahler 1
Debussy La mer

vandermolen

#3
Quote from: kyjo on May 29, 2022, 08:16:18 PM
I don't believe this has been done before! I'm referring to just the final few minutes (coda) of a work, not its entire final movement btw.

Arnold 5 (devastating!)
Atterberg 3 (glorious!)
Braga Santos 4 (exultant!)
Honegger 3 (redemptive!)
Magnard 4 (visionary!)
Mozart 41 (brilliant!)
Prokofiev 5 (coruscating!)
Rachmaninov 1 (crushing!)
Great thread idea and great list Kyle. The Rachmaninov is one of my favourite doom-laden endings when, having teetered on the brink of the abyss throughout the symphony, Rachmaninov finally topples head-first into it - marvellous!

OK, here goes:

Vaughan Williams Symphony No.9 (monolithic, defiant, visionary)
Rachmaninov Symphony No.1 (for reasons above)
Honegger: 'Liturgique' (beautiful bird-song ending)
Atterberg: Symphony No.3 (as above)
Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905' - very exciting, especially in concert
Walton Symphony No.1 (explosive - despair finally turns into triumph)
Miaskovsky Symphony No.6 (deeply moving when the chorus enters)
Bloch Symphony in C sharp minor (doom-laden but paradoxically redemptive)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

relm1

Quote from: vandermolen on May 29, 2022, 10:22:22 PM
Great thread idea and great list Kyle. The Rachmaninov is one of my favourite doom-laden endings when, having teetered on the brink of the abyss throughout the symphony, Rachmaninov finally topples head-first into it - marvellous!

OK, here goes:

Vaughan Williams Symphony No.9 (monolithic, defiant, visionary)
Rachmaninov Symphony No.1 (for reasons above)
Honegger: 'Liturgique' (beautiful bird-song ending)
Atterberg: Symphony No.3 (as above)
Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905' - very exciting, especially in concert
Walton Symphony No.1 (explosive - despair finally turns into triumph)
Miaskovsky Symphony No.6 (deeply moving when the chorus enters)
Bloch Symphony in C sharp minor (doom-laden but paradoxically redemptive)

I'm curious about how you define "monolithic" regarding RVW No 9 if you can please elaborate?  As for me:

My 8 in no order...

1. Mahler 2 (Triumphant)
2. Mahler 3 (Transcendent)
3. Beethoven 9 (Exuberant)
4. RVW 1 (Transcendent and Cathartic)
5. Shostakovich 4 (Shattering)
6. Sibelius 7 (Radiant)
7. Atterberg 3 (Exuberant)
8. Shostakovich 7 (Defiant)
8b. Prokofiev 4 (rev) radiant
8c. Scriabin 5 (a hybrid symphony) - (radiant)
8d. Prokofiev 7 (original version) - (enigmatic)
8e. Shostakovich 15 (enigmatic)




André

Quote from: relm1 on May 30, 2022, 05:38:34 AM
I'm curious about how you define "monolithic" regarding RVW No 9 if you can please elaborate?  As for me:

My 8 in no order...

1. Mahler 2 (Triumphant)
2. Mahler 3 (Transcendent)
3. Beethoven 9 (Exuberant)
4. RVW 1 (Transcendent and Cathartic)
5. Shostakovich 4 (Shattering)
6. Sibelius 7 (Radiant)
7. Atterberg 3 (Exuberant)
8. Shostakovich 7 (Defiant)
8b. Prokofiev 4 (rev) radiant
8c. Scriabin 5 (a hybrid symphony) - (radiant)
8d. Prokofiev 7 (original version) - (enigmatic)
8e. Shostakovich 15 (enigmatic)

Nice list!

My own would probably include M2, LvB9, Brahms 2, RVW 1, Sibelius 5 and 7 and Bruckner 5 and 8.

amw

#6
A really basic list:

Brahms 3 & 4
Bruckner 8
Schumann 2
Dvořák 6 & 8
Tippett 1
Shostakovich 4
Sibelius 5 & 6
Hugh Wood (I really shouldn't let it get to me, but it always does anyway)
Elgar/Payne 3
Prokofiev 6—can't believe I forgot this one, it might be my overall favourite symphonic ending

Numbers can't stop me because I can't count.

vandermolen

#7
Quote from: relm1 on May 30, 2022, 05:38:34 AM
I'm curious about how you define "monolithic" regarding RVW No 9 if you can please elaborate?  As for me:

My 8 in no order...

1. Mahler 2 (Triumphant)
2. Mahler 3 (Transcendent)
3. Beethoven 9 (Exuberant)
4. RVW 1 (Transcendent and Cathartic)
5. Shostakovich 4 (Shattering)
6. Sibelius 7 (Radiant)
7. Atterberg 3 (Exuberant)
8. Shostakovich 7 (Defiant)
8b. Prokofiev 4 (rev) radiant
8c. Scriabin 5 (a hybrid symphony) - (radiant)
8d. Prokofiev 7 (original version) - (enigmatic)
8e. Shostakovich 15 (enigmatic)

Monolithic for me means 'block-like' - like Stonehenge (actually an inspiration for Vaughan Williams's 9th Symphony). I also think that the ending reminds of those extraordinary paintings by Marc Rothko in the Tate Gallery in London. It's those massive chords at the end of the 9th Symphony - sorry for the not-very-musical description. I share your appreciation of the endings of Shostakovich's 15th, 7th and 4th symphonies. I included No.11 in my own list and could also have added No.8 - Bruckner's 8th and Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony (descends into glowering darkness) also come to mind as great endings.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

Bloch: Symphony in C-sharp minor (transcendent)
Holmboe: Symphony No. 8 (dramatic)
Langgaard: Symphony No. 5 (1st version) (eerie) and No. 6 (hyper-epic!) (Chandos recording)
Martinu: Symphony No. 4 (joyous)
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (glorious)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 (devastating and resigned at once)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (hopeful)
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Jo498

Quote from: amw on May 30, 2022, 12:26:07 PM
A really basic list:

Brahms 3 & 4
I am surprised that nobody before had mentioned Brahms' 3rd, maybe the first major symphony (the main other candidate would be Haydn's 45 but that's more of a curiosity) with a quiet ending.
Despite having the reputation of a more introvert, Brahms has very brilliant and effective codas/endings in symphonies 1+2 as well.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 30, 2022, 05:33:23 PM
Bloch: Symphony in C-sharp minor (transcendent)
Holmboe: Symphony No. 8 (dramatic)
Langgaard: Symphony No. 5 (1st version) (eerie) and No. 6 (hyper-epic!) (Chandos recording)
Martinu: Symphony No. 4 (joyous)
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (glorious)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 (devastating and resigned at once)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (hopeful)

I don't tend to do these lists BUT if I did DSCH 8 would have been on it - has a straight C major chord ever been bleaker!?

Maestro267

Bruckner 5 - Like every trumpet and trombone in heaven and on earth are giving praise in this almighty cathedral of sound!

Mahler 8 - Like one is literally being lifted up to heaven when the crescendo hits#

Shostakovich 7 - Defiant. Victory through gritted teeth. You tried to kill us BUT WE STILL STAND UNITED! Scarred but still here.

Elgar 2 - Probably the most contented ending to a symphony I've heard

I'll add more when I can think of an appropriate line for some more.

DavidW

Mahler 9
DSCH 8
Sibelius 5
Mozart 41
Haydn 45
Schubert 9
Tchaikovsky 6
Dvorak 9

relm1

Quote from: vandermolen on May 30, 2022, 01:33:28 PM
Monolithic for me means 'block-like' - like Stonehenge (actually an inspiration for Vaughan Williams's 9th Symphony. I also think that the ending reminds of those extraordinary paintings by Marc Rothko in the Tate Gallery in London. It's those massive chords at the end of the 9th Symphony - sorry for the not-very-musical description. I share your appreciation of the endings of Shostakovich's 15th, 7th and 4th symphonies. I included No.11 in my own list and could also have added No.8 - Bruckner's 8th and Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony (descends into glowering darkness) also come to mind as great endings.

Got it.  You probably mean the sequence when the entire orchestra plays mono-rhythmically and mono-harmonically.  That was a quite impactful moment because it contrasted so much with what came before.  Similarly, Malcom Arnold does the same thing in his No. 9, but there it is very quiet, here very loud.  The effect is shattering in both.  Yes, I should include Bruckner No. 8.  I think I could also include Brian's No. 1, I love that very quiet choral at the end the apocalyptic outburst.   

kyjo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 30, 2022, 05:33:23 PM
Bloch: Symphony in C-sharp minor (transcendent)
Holmboe: Symphony No. 8 (dramatic)
Langgaard: Symphony No. 5 (1st version) (eerie) and No. 6 (hyper-epic!) (Chandos recording)
Martinu: Symphony No. 4 (joyous)
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (glorious)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 (devastating and resigned at once)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (hopeful)

I was going to include the Bloch and Nielsen on my list, but I figured there was no need since you'd include them anyway. 8)
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

kyjo

Quote from: amw on May 30, 2022, 12:26:07 PM
A really basic list:

Brahms 3 & 4
Bruckner 8
Schumann 2
Dvořák 6 & 8
Tippett 1
Shostakovich 4
Sibelius 5 & 6
Hugh Wood (I really shouldn't let it get to me, but it always does anyway)
Elgar/Payne 3
Prokofiev 6—can't believe I forgot this one, it might be my overall favourite symphonic ending

Numbers can't stop me because I can't count.

Big thumbs-up for the Dvorak, Tippett, and Prokofiev selections especially. What's the Hugh Wood symphony like?
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

vandermolen

#16
Quote from: relm1 on May 31, 2022, 05:23:48 AM
Got it.  You probably mean the sequence when the entire orchestra plays mono-rhythmically and mono-harmonically.  That was a quite impactful moment because it contrasted so much with what came before.  Similarly, Malcom Arnold does the same thing in his No. 9, but there it is very quiet, here very loud.  The effect is shattering in both.  Yes, I should include Bruckner No. 8.  I think I could also include Brian's No. 1, I love that very quiet choral at the end the apocalyptic outburst.
Your explanation sounds spot on and is much more musical than mine! Oh yes, that chord at the end of HB's Gothic Symphony is wonderful, placing a retrospective glow on everything that has come before. The very ending of Arnold's 9th Symphony is very moving.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

TheGSMoeller

#17
Haydn: The 45th - The [enter superlatives] ending of a symphony.

Berlioz: Harold in Italy - my favorite romantic-era, bombastic ending.

Liszt: Faust & Dante Symphony - Ending a work with voices is always a bonus with me.

Mahler: Symphony 3 - If the universe had a musical coda, this would be it. Nothing matches the exhilaration of this. 

Sibelius: Symphony 6 - One of my favorite symphonic movements from anybody already, and the closing is a lush, and dark descent.

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances -  Don't muffle that gong at the end! Let it ring out!

Shostakovich: Symphony 11 - Like a massive fright train that can't stop. And don't muffle those bells and gong at the end! Let them ring out! Why am I yelling!

Ives: Symphony 2 - The final chord.

Ives: Symphony 4 - Once the chaotic turns to calm the wordless choir appears and puts everyone gently to sleep.

Prokofiev: Symphony 7 the original quiet ending!!! - For a work that offers so many moods from melancholy to cheerful the closing minutes feels very nostalgic, and not forced. (unlike the crappy happy ending)

Pettersson: Symphony 7 - I'm still somewhat new to Pettersson's music, but his 7th really struck me, and the ending is a slow, softly-pulsing walk into bleakness.

Schnittke: Symphony No. 4 - The final minutes when the choir begins to sing is extremely powerful.

Mirror Image

Quote from: TheGSMoeller on June 02, 2022, 04:10:35 PM
Haydn: The 45th - The [enter superlatives] ending of a symphony.

Berlioz: Harold in Italy - my favorite romantic-era, bombastic ending.

Liszt: Faust & Dante Symphony - Ending a work with voices is always a bonus with me.

Mahler: Symphony 3 - If the universe had a musical coda, this would be it. Nothing matches the exhilaration of this. 

Sibelius: Symphony 6 - One of my favorite symphonic movements from anybody already, and the closing is a lush, and dark decent.

Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances -  Don't muffle that gong at the end! Let it ring out!

Shostakovich: Symphony 11 - Like a massive fright train that can't stop. And don't muffle those bells and gong at the end! Let them ring out! Why am I yelling!

Ives: Symphony 2 - The final chord.

Ives: Symphony 4 - Once the chaotic turns to calm the wordless choir appears and puts everyone gently to sleep.

Prokofiev: Symphony 7 the original quiet ending!!! - For a work that offers so many moods from melancholy to cheerful the closing minutes feels very nostalgic, and not forced. (unlike the crappy happy ending)

Pettersson: Symphony 7 - I'm still somewhat new to Pettersson's music, but his 7th really struck me, and the ending is a slow, softly-pulsing walk into bleakness.

Schnittke: Symphony No. 4 - The final minutes when the choir begins to sing is extremely powerful.

A fine list, Greg!

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).