# Your fave final mvts/favourite last minutes of any classical/opera song?



## sara (Jan 11, 2010)

Hello all! This is my first post here so apologies in advance if this question has already been asked…

I'm sure everyone loves a good ending so I was wondering what are your favourite classical music finales/endings?

They can be your favourite final movements or they can be your favourite last minute/s of any movements, ballets, sonatas, suites, concertos, operas, aria etc… in short your favourite last minute/s of your favourite classical/opera songs.

I'm very very new to classical music and from what I've heard so far my favourite finale movements are:

- Final mvmt of Mahler's 1st Symphony
- Final mvmt of Beethoven's 5th Symphony
- Final mvmt of Shostakovic's 12th Symphony
- Final mvmt of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite

And I absolutely adore the last minute/s of:

- 1st mvt of Mahler's 1st Symphony (esp. the last 20 or so seconds are so wonderfully playful)
- Great Gate of Kiev, Mussorsky (Ravel's orchestration always my jaw drop)
- 1st mvt of Beethoven's 5th Symphony
- 4th mvmt of Mahler's 5th Symphony
- 3rd mvmt of Mahler's 9th Symphony
- Jupiter, Holst
- La Valse, Ravel
- Odzemek from Dvorak's Slavonic Dances
- March No. 1 of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance Marches
- Danzon No. 2, Arturo Marquez
- William Tell Overture, Rossini
- Tabula Rasa, Arvo Part
- Romance from Shostakovic's Gadfly Suite
- Marche Slave, Tchaikovsky
- 1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky

Hehe I must admit most of my favourite 'lasts' are ones that end with a big bang!

Anyway thanks for your responses and I can't wait to hear more fantastic finales and final minutes!


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I'm sure that if I sat and went through my iTunes library, I could find countless pieces whose endings I adore. Tchaikovsky immediately stands out with great endings, such as the end of the 1st movement to the 4th Symphony, as well as _Francesca da Rimini_ and the final movement of the _Manfred Symphony_.

However, before I get myself caught up in hours of searching for my favourite ending, I'll just call up the one I have admired for the longest time - the final movement of Brahms's 3rd Symphony. This symphony is both my favourite of Brahms's and of any other composers I listen to. Its final movement has never failed to raise the hairs on the back of my neck and completely alter my mood. It's fantastic.


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

The one piece that jumps into my mind is the ending of Tchaikovsky's _Swan Lake_ where all the other instuments suddenly cut out and only the strings remain playing, before returning again. Along similar lines, the ending of Delibes _Sylvia_ is excellent too. Stavinsky's _Firebird_ has a good ending but the duh-dah-duh-dah-DUH-DUH section is the highlight for me. The _Hoedown_ section from Copland's _Rodeo_ has a nice ending if I remeber correctly.

So many pieces end in the traditional/cliched V-I alternating cadence that it's hard to make the actual final ending stand apart from other pieces and sometimes some less common cadences can add some nice unexpected spice.


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

*Final Movements*
I like the Final movement of Autum in the Four Seasons (It counts if you look at each season as seperate)
Neptune of The Planets
Mahler (Deryck Cooke's) 10th Symphony
Mahler 3rd
Beethoven 5th, 6th, and 9th

*Final Minutes/Regular Finales*
Le Nozze Di Figaro
Don Giovanni 
Bolero 
Rite Of Spring
Daphnis et Chloe


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Yesterday I watched Strauss's Salome and the very ending, when the Herod suddenly orders to kill Salome was totally surprising (musically). One of most unusuall endings I can think of.


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## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

One of my favourite endings is Swan Lake. The huge build-up, then the descending/ascending notes on the brass, followed by that magnificent gong-strike/timpani roll and into the final presentation of the main theme. Unbelievably powerful!


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## mueske (Jan 14, 2009)

Mahler - Third symphony, fourth movement the cadence is amazing! 
Beethoven - Symphony no. 9 - 3
Everything by Brahms

And I always lol at Tchaikovsky... Everyone always says Beethoven has long codas, but damn, Tchaikovsky is Beethoven times 10. His first symphony, the coda is so long, and it just keeps giving the illusion it's going to end. 

I don't think he wanted it to be perceived that way, but I always laugh at it.


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## Romantic Geek (Dec 25, 2009)

Finale Movement of Tchaik 6.


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## Il Seraglio (Sep 14, 2009)

The final Adagio to Mahler's 9th
The chorus finale to Fidelio
The finale to Beethoven's 9th (sorry if that one is too obvious)
The Chaconne from Bach's Partita No. 2
The final fifteen minutes of Gotterdammerung
_Sanctus_ and _Benedictus_ at the end of Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor which gracefully on the same theme


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Much as I love Beethoven, I don't get excited about his endings. Well, I do like his false endings, but they can also make me roll my eyes depending on my mood. With Beethoven and many others it's not the ending, it's how you get there.

Best ending of all time to me is Holst's Neptune, mentioned above by SalieriIsInnocent, because it doesn't really end at all.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Weston said:


> Much as I love Beethoven, I don't get excited about his endings. Well, I do like his false endings, but they can also make me roll my eyes depending on my mood. With Beethoven and many others it's not the ending, it's how you get there.
> 
> Best ending of all time to me is Holst's Neptune, mentioned above by SalieriIsInnocent, because it doesn't really end at all.


On the subject of Holst, I think Saturn should be mentioned as well. On one of those nights when you're awe-inspired about the immensity of the universe and feel rightfully insignificant, it's one of the most beautiful things you could hear.

EDIT - I just realised that, in my enthusiasm for that movement, I forgot we were talking about last movements/moments. Sorry! I suppose we're even now sara


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Dvorak Symphony 9
Dvorak Symphony 7
Shostakovich Symphony 7 - amazing build up


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

Il Seraglio said:


> The final Adagio to Mahler's 9th
> The chorus finale to Fidelio
> The finale to Beethoven's 9th (sorry if that one is too obvious)
> The Chaconne from Bach's Partita No. 2
> ...


Sadly, thanks to the Amadeus soundtrack, for years I thought that the mass ended with Lacrimosa dies illa. I still love Neville Marriner's version, so I had to buy the full work. Robert Lloyd singing Tuba mirum became my favorite part.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I simply have to plug another one of my most cherished works - _Polednice_ (hence the username), or _The Noon Witch_ by Dvorak. It's a tremendous symphonic poem based on the poetry of Erben, and its final moments, in which a father exclaims his utter despair at the sight of his dead son - after which the noon witch quickly vanishes - _never_ fails to impress me and make me share a similar sense of dread.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Last few minutes: Gotterdammerung, Mahler 2, 8, 9, Sibelius 7 (I could just cheat and put this under the "last movements" category )

Last movements: Mahler 3 and 6, Sibelius 6, Bruckner 4 (Celibidache's view of it especially!).


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## Il Seraglio (Sep 14, 2009)

SalieriIsInnocent said:


> Sadly, thanks to the Amadeus soundtrack, for years I thought that the mass ended with Lacrimosa dies illa. I still love Neville Marriner's version, so I had to buy the full work. Robert Lloyd singing Tuba mirum became my favorite part.


I should check it out. I'm getting a little bored of John Eliot Gardiner's version. Not for the performance itself, but the poor sound quality.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

*Fav last moments:*

Puccini - Turandot
Verdi - Aida
Berg - Wozzeck
Schoenberg - Moses und Aron
Ligeti - String Quartet No. 1
Berg - String Quartet
Villa-Lobos - Fantasy for piano & orchestra "Momoprecoce" (King of the Carnival)
Martin - Petite Symphonie Concertante for harp, harpsichord, piano and strings
Martinu - Memorial to Lidice
Stravinsky - Firebird Suite
Sculthorpe - Piano Concerto
Varese - Deserts
Janacek - Piano Sonata "From the street"
Hindemith - Mathis der Maler symphony; Pittsburgh symphony
Sibelius - Tapiola; Valse Triste
Ifukube - Ritmica Ostinata for piano & orchestra
Messiaen - Quartet for the End of Time
*
Fav last movements:*

Bizet - L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1
Brahms - Symphony No. 4
Ginastera - Piano Concerto No. 1
Carter - String Quartet No. 1
Ligeti - Etudes (Book 1)
Surinach - String Quartet; Piano Concerto
Milhaud - Scaramouche
Mahler - Symphony No. 4
Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 1; Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta
Janacek - Taras Bulba
Piazzolla - Maria de Buenos Aires Suite
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique"
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique
Guarneri - Piano Concerto No. 3

Doubtless there are many others that I can't think of right now...


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## sara (Jan 11, 2010)

_@Polednice_
HOW DARE YOU GO OFF TOPIC!

…just kidding. 

Again I only started listening to classical music a few months ago so I'm willing to listen to any brilliant piece I can get my hands (and ears) on. Even if Saturn isn't your favourite final movement/favourite last few minutes I'd still give it a listen.

I wonder if there's thread on here about songs like Saturn that people find awe-inspiring? Or maybe a thread about pieces that are so deeply moving people believe god or the devil himself had a hand in writing them?

Hehe and yes we're even. 

Oh and thank you for the Brahms 3rd Symph and Polednice suggestion! I haven't listened to any Brahms or Dvorak symphonies yet (hehe I'm sure you might consider this a criminal offence) so I will check those out when I have some free time. 

_@Weston..._
I completely understand what you mean when you say 'it's how you get there'.

I always try to listen to an entire work at least 1-3 times to get the 'full effect' of the work and I tend to listen out for my favourite mvmts/introductions/last minutes when I'm listening. Ater the first 3 or so 'full listens' if I find a certain movement a little pedestrian I might consider skipping it sometimes. That's not to say that I'd completely rule out listening to that piece ever again b/c naturally reactions to different movements ultimately change over time.

Frankly I wish I could listen to entire symphonies all day but unfortunately my career isn't in the classical music field which might explain why, when strapped for time, I usually refer to certain favourite movements or moments b/c I get more pleasure out of them than others movements that I find wanting. For example there have been times when I've felt a little down and have repeatedly listened to the a favourite movement/part b/c the energy of the section never fails to drastically improve my mood.

Ideally people should try to listen to a whole work at least once/a few times but realistically I think there are some people out there who either: 1) don't have the patience to listen to a work in its entirety (which is unfortunate b/c they're not going on the full 'journey') or 2) are sadly so busy they don't have the time to listen to an entire symphony/opera/suite and listen to it in instalments or skip over parts that don't interest them (again unfortunate).

If that's the case then at least they're allowing their lives to be enriched by classical music and I suppose it's not exactly the end of the world if their track list isn't consistently in sequential order. At least they're listening to classical music instead of dismissing it altogether by pigeonholing it as 'totally boring old people's music'. Now _those people_ are the ones who have _no idea_ what they're missing out on!

Hehe ok mini rant over. 

Anyway about Holst… so far I've heard Mars and Jupiter and I've noticed that many of the posters on the multiple 'i'm a first time listener what should I listen to' threads have suggested listening to the Planets suite.

So I'll definitely give Neptune (and the other planets) a try for sure.

A song that doesn't really end… you've got me intrigued! 

_@Il Seraglio_
I actually feel pretty guilty that I didn't include the finale of Beethoven's 9th along with the finale of Swan Lake and Symphonie Fantastique which a few have mentioned already. I suppose all three would be popular/obvious choices but I think you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by these three .

_@SalieriIsInnocent_
Rite of Spring is one of my favourite last minutes too!

If you have the time you should see Esa-Pekka Salonen head banging his way like a man possessed through Rite's last movement. I'm sure the poor guy must have a bad case of RSI post performance but it truly is a joy to watch:






_@World Violinist_
This week I've been listening to a lot of Mahler this week for the first time (1, 5 and 9) so far I've loved all three symphonies. So naturally I can't wait to hear the last few mins of his 2nd and 8th. 

---

Also I know I've mentioned Great Gate of Kiev as a favourite last movement but personally I think Kiev is more effective when paired with Baba Yaga. I know they're two separate movements but paired together they're the most engrossing 'tag team final movements' I've heard so far:





 (Baba and Kiev conducted by Gustavo Dudamel)




 (Baba and Kiev conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen)

I also love the last minute of Ophelia's last scene/death scene in Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet, in particular this heartbreaking performance by Natalie Dessay:






Thank you so much for sharing your favourite endings/last mvts everyone! I just hope I can find the time to listen to all of your favourites!

If you have any more suggestions please feel free to keep them coming!


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

Mahler 2 is hard to beat for sheer overwhelmingness (as you'd expect with a symphony titled 'Resurrection').

But for sheer uniqueness (despite it technically just being V-I), coupled with the fact that no two performances in the history of recorded music are the same, it has to be Sibelius 5. The great swinging theme marches to its swaggering climax, and then - the abrupt void; 7 short but mighty chords suspended like planets in the sky. Like nothing else ever written.
cheers,
Graeme


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

What about Tristan und Isolde. Final aria kicks ***, it's metal!!! yeah \m/ 

Codas of both famous piano concertos by Rachmaninoff also comes to mind. I talk about this moment when theme appearing before with piano is taken by orchestra and extended.


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

Il Seraglio said:


> I should check it out. I'm getting a little bored of John Eliot Gardiner's version. Not for the performance itself, but the poor sound quality.


It is amazing. The quality is just so wonderful. Bohm's is great as well, but I cherish Sir Neville's performance.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

GraemeG said:


> But for sheer uniqueness (despite it technically just being V-I), coupled with the fact that no two performances in the history of recorded music are the same, it has to be Sibelius 5. The great swinging theme marches to its swaggering climax, and then - the abrupt void; 7 short but mighty chords suspended like planets in the sky. Like nothing else ever written.


You could easily make a similar case for all the other Sibelius symphonies really, for the most part. When it comes to Sibelius symphonies I always go either for the 6th or 7th over the 5th (which is actually not one of my favorites, and I've been listening to Sibelius for a couple of years). I just feel that they're more rich both emotionally and structurally than the more famous symphonies.


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

Sibelius is the master of the understated eding thats all the more affecting ad powerful - symphonies 4-7

*Slow and magical endings*
sibelius - symphony 6
Bax - symphony 2 & 3- both have dying twilight epilogues (the second dark and austere and the 3rd ghostyl and ethereal) that are incomparable

*Exciting Endings*
Sibelius - Symphony 5 1st movement 
Shostakovich symphony 11 - those bells ohhh

The most thrilling ending for me though is 
NIELSEN - 5th symphony - the unrelieved energy through the last movement makes it entirely astonishing live


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

They're not astonishing; they're not exciting, and I'm not even much of a Mozart fan, but I really like the final movements of his Horn Concertos 2 and 4 - that's just for sentimental reasons, because they're examples of some of the earliest pieces I ever heard, and they conjure a pleasant nostalgia


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## sara (Jan 11, 2010)

Well thanks to everyone who has responded here, I had a lovely weekend trying out some of your endings and other whole works!

I was able to check out a whole recording of Holst's Planets (with Karajan conducting). Brilliant stuff, I can't believe I hadn't tried to listen to the entire suite years ago! 

My favourite endings from that suite did indeed include Neptune (brilliant call Weston and SalieriiIsInnocent) but I also loved the endings of Saturn and Neptune.

Polednice, I think Saturn is sublime and it's very quickly turning into one of those movements that I could listen to on repeat for days and days so thank you for pointing it out. 

I also tried Sibelius for the first time and started with his 5th Symphony thanks to GraemeG's amazing description of the last movement.

I heard/saw two recordings: one conducted by Rattle, the other on youtube conducted by Salonen. Glad I heard/saw Salonen first b/c personally I feel Rattle's final seven notes are far too sluggish (actually lazy and awkward are the words that come to mind…). Rattle didn't capture the same awe-inspiring atmosphere of Salonen's final seven knockouts:






What can I say Graeme? You were spot on about Sibelius' 5th ending. If anyone else hasn't heard it, they seriously need to hear the whole thing! 

Also love this ending to Shotakovich's 12th:






And seeing as though this is an open forum I think little kids opinions count even if they're not experts when it comes to classical. I say this b/c listened to a few Strauss Polkas and Waltzes and my little cousins heard it and couldn't get enough of Johann Strauss Jr's 'In the Little Jelly Doughnut Woods' polka.

Sure it sounds pretty much the same throughout (well to me anyway) but they really like the fast ending and the long bird chirps too. It's not one of my favourites but it's theirs. Personally I would've put 'Jelly' in the 'dorkiest last minutes of classical music I have ever heard' category… 

I'm trying Nielsen's 5th and 6th today and I'm sure there are some good endings to be had… at least I hope there are!

Anyway thanks for the great suggestions everyone, I really appreciate it and for a beginner listener it has been an interesting way to discover new composers.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Medtner's War Sonata had a pretty great ending.


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

On your behalf, Sara, I'm trying to think of more endings that just blow you away, and it occurs to me that you need to get yourself along to your local symphony orchestra and hear some of them live. Even if they sound a little hackneyed on CD/MP3, in the concert hall, the situation changes.
A couple more for you, then:
finale of Sibelius 2nd symphony
last movement (Appian Way) of Respighi's Pines of Rome
end of Saint-Saens 3rd symphony
the finale Toccata of Widor's Organ Symphony No 5

And if you can ever get to a performance of Mahler 2, do it.
cheers,
Graeme


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

sara said:


> ...Shostakovic's 12th Symphony


I second that! Another ending I've mentioned in previous similar threads is the last few minutes of Shostakovich's 15th (particularly that conducted by Ormandy). Others: The conclusion of Malcolm Arnold's 4th, Schubert's String Quartet No. 14 (Death and the Maiden), and Beethoven's 6th Symphony (the final french horn solo at the end is terrific....an improvement over the dead horse beating of an ending to the 5th).


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## Mush (Jan 18, 2010)

Last Movment: Lutoslawski's Passacaglia from the Concerto for Orcestra
Final moments: Shostakovich's 'Execution of Stephan Razan'


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## Romantic Geek (Dec 25, 2009)

The end of Symphonie Fantastique, fourth movement...is pretty shocking.


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

Thank you Aramis.. somebody finally mentioned the Liebestod!! Besides that, the biggest, most grandiose endings I can think of come at the finish of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony, Rachmaninov's 3rd concerto, and Prokofiev's 3rd. Actually, the ending of Shostakovich 7 might be "bigger", but the piece itself is not in the same league.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Having listened to it recently, the ending of _Peter and the Wolf_ is fun and moving!  Right at the end, when all the characters are in procession and Peter's theme is finally taken up by the brass, it feels incredibly triumphant.

I'm also a big fan of the last movement of Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 19 - I think it has a particularly effective sense of development throughout.


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## bplary (Sep 13, 2009)

The ending of Chopin's 4th ballade is incredible, almost as if the underlying drama for the entire piece can no longer be subdued and just erupts out of the work.


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## sara (Jan 11, 2010)

Thanks for all the fabulous ending suggestions folks!

Just wanted to add that I love the final minutes of the final movements from these symphonies:

• Borodin's 2nd
• Brahms' 3rd
• Brucker's 7th and 9th
• Schubert's 9th
• Rachmaninov's 2nd
• Sibelius' 7th


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