8 favorite symphonic endings

[Lisztianwagner]

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 (overwhelming)
Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (ecstatic)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (outstanding)
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1 (powerful)
Haydn: Symphony No. 45 (stroke of genius)
Nielsen: Symphony No. 4 (glorious)
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7 (impressive)
Liszt: Dante Symphony (transcendent)

As a bonus, since the Ring Cycle is sometimes compared to a giant symphony:
Wagner: Götterdammërung (absolutely astounding)

[Brahmsian]

In alphabetical order:

Berlioz - Symphonie fantastique
Bruckner - 8
Franck - D minor
Rachmaninov - 1
Shostakovich - 4
Shostakovich - 5
Sibelius - 2
Tchaikovsky - 6

[TheGSMoeller]

In alphabetical order:

Berlioz - Symphonie fantastique
Bruckner - 8
Franck - D minor
Rachmaninov - 1
Shostakovich - 4
Shostakovich - 5
Sibelius - 2
Tchaikovsky - 6

Great list, Ray. All compelling endings.
To the bolded DSCH 4th - I take the missus to many orchestra concerts and almost all of the time she's hearing music for the first time. We saw DSCH 4th years ago and it was the one time she mentioned being absolutely "mesmerized" by an ending. Which I understand, with so many unexpected shifts in the music the final quiet minutes of the work always has me on edge, as if another shift is about to occur, the music seems to be moving to another location rather than searching for a resolution. It's brilliant!

[Brahmsian]

Great list, Ray. All compelling endings.
To the bolded DSCH 4th - I take the missus to many orchestra concerts and almost all of the time she's hearing music for the first time. We saw DSCH 4th years ago and it was the one time she mentioned being absolutely "mesmerized" by an ending. Which I understand, with so many unexpected shifts in the music the final quiet minutes of the work always has me on edge, as if another shift is about to occur, the music seems to be moving to another location rather than searching for a resolution. It's brilliant!

I am hoping the WSO will program the 4th at some point. I asked them if they were planning to and they replied that they would love to, but because it requires such a large orchestra (100 or more) it's a challenge for a small/medium sized orchestra to put on. Because our conductor, Daniel Raiskin, has recorded a splendid 4th, I am sure he would love to perform it with the WSO someday.

[kyjo]

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.

Great list and descriptions! FWIW, I love both endings of Prokofiev's 7th, for completely different reasons, of course.

[Brian]

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

Hah, the idea of this ending the universe reminds me of what my father said when I took him to see Mahler 3: "He really didn't want that to end, did he?" 

[TheGSMoeller]

Great list and descriptions! FWIW, I love both endings of Prokofiev's 7th, for completely different reasons, of course.

Thank you!
Truth is Prokofiev could do no wrong to these ears. Play on happier-ending of the 7th, play on! 

Hah, the idea of this ending the universe reminds me of what my father said when I took him to see Mahler 3: "He really didn't want that to end, did he?" 

[Symphonic Addict]

Eight more:

Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8
Tubin: Symphony No. 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Magnard: Symphony No. 4
Bax: Symphony No. 3

[vandermolen]

Eight more:

Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8
Tubin: Symphony No. 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Magnard: Symphony No. 4
Bax: Symphony No. 3

Bax's No.3 certainly gets the thumbs up from me Cesar.

[vandermolen]

List No.2

Bax: Symphony No. 5 (wonderfully affirmative sense of home-coming, especially in Leppard's recording)
Shchedrin: Symphony No.1 (build up to 'heroic'conclusion disintegrates into nothingness)
Rootham: Symphony No.2 (unbearably moving, Rootham was dying at the time)
Mahler: Symphony No.1 (love the emphatic ending - Bernard Herrmann's Symphony uses a similar device)
Miaskovsky: Symphony No.17 (triumphant, yet oddly defiant, written at the time of the Stalinist Purges)
Honegger: Symphony No.5 'The Three D's' (Honegger makes his symphonic exit in an understatedly moving fashion)
Copland: Symphony No.3 (original ending - a great triumphant conclusion)
Bax: Symphony No.7 (profound sense of peace and acceptance, especially, once again, in Raymond Leppard's recording).

[vers la flamme]

In no particular order;

Mahler's 2nd
Mahler's 8th
Mahler's 4th
Sibelius's 5th
Mozart's 41st
Janáček's Sinfonietta
Bruckner's 4th
Beethoven's 6th

[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!)

Eight additional choices off the top of my head, not supplanting the above ones:

Ben-Haim 1: Festive and breathlessly energetic, with a really catchy rhythmic ostinato.
Bruckner 5: A supremely majestic and logical conclusion which the entire work is building towards.
Dvořák 7: Triumphant, but also with also an undertone of defiant struggle!
Kalinnikov 2: The way he combines multiple themes from previous movements in such an ingenious and celebratory fashion is just wonderful!
Lloyd 5: Unstoppably energetic and joyous beyond words!
W. Schuman 3: Absolutely coruscating in its sheer brilliance - it's like a huge percussion-driven freight train!
Suk Asrael: A movingly redemptive and suitably exhausted conclusion after such an emotionally turbulent journey.
Weinberg 5: This unique ending manages to be ethereal and creepy at the same time, with its prominent part for the celesta.

[LKB]

In no particular order;

Mahler's 2nd
Mahler's 8th
Mahler's 4th
Sibelius's 5th
Mozart's 41st
Janáček's Sinfonietta
Bruckner's 4th
Beethoven's 6th

Great list, just needs more Mahler... 

[vers la flamme]

Great list, just needs more Mahler... 

The 3rd, 6th and 9th might have made the cut too 

[LKB]

The 3rd, 6th and 9th might have made the cut too 

Not the Seventh?

Heresy! 

[vers la flamme]

Not the Seventh?

Heresy! 

I love the 7th, but for some reason I seem to have had a problem with the finale in the past. I should revisit it soon so I can learn to correct these heretical tendencies.

[vandermolen]

Eight additional choices off the top of my head, not supplanting the above ones:

Ben-Haim 1: Festive and breathlessly energetic, with a really catchy rhythmic ostinato.
Bruckner 5: A supremely majestic and logical conclusion which the entire work is building towards.
Dvořák 7: Triumphant, but also with also an undertone of defiant struggle!
Kalinnikov 2: The way he combines multiple themes from previous movements in such an ingenious and celebratory fashion is just wonderful!
Lloyd 5: Unstoppably energetic and joyous beyond words!
W. Schuman 3: Absolutely coruscating in its sheer brilliance - it's like a huge percussion-driven freight train!
Suk Asrael: A movingly redemptive and suitably exhausted conclusion after such an emotionally turbulent journey.
Weinberg 5: This unique ending manages to be ethereal and creepy at the same time, with its prominent part for the celesta.

Great list Kyle! 

[Florestan]

Otomh

For symphonies proper:

Haydn 45
Mozart 40
Beethoven 8
Schubert 9
Mendelssohn 4
Tchaikovsky 4

For orchestral works:

Lalo - Symphonie espagnole
Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade

[Daverz]

I find this a difficult list to make

Sibelius Symphony No. 2
Mahler Symphony No. 3
Brahms Symphony No. 1
Shostakovich: Symphonies 4 & 15

[foxandpeng]

Eight additional choices off the top of my head, not supplanting the above ones:

Ben-Haim 1: Festive and breathlessly energetic, with a really catchy rhythmic ostinato.
Bruckner 5: A supremely majestic and logical conclusion which the entire work is building towards.
Dvořák 7: Triumphant, but also with also an undertone of defiant struggle!
Kalinnikov 2: The way he combines multiple themes from previous movements in such an ingenious and celebratory fashion is just wonderful!
Lloyd 5: Unstoppably energetic and joyous beyond words!
W. Schuman 3: Absolutely coruscating in its sheer brilliance - it's like a huge percussion-driven freight train!
Suk Asrael: A movingly redemptive and suitably exhausted conclusion after such an emotionally turbulent journey.
Weinberg 5: This unique ending manages to be ethereal and creepy at the same time, with its prominent part for the celesta.

Nice commentary on a helpful post ... !