# Most epic ending for an orchestral work



## thatperson

Lots of works have big endings.
which do you think is the most epic? lmao

I'd say:
- Barber second essay
- mahler 1, 2, 6, 8
- prokofiev 3 and 5
- stravinsky rite of spring
- britten cello symphony
- tchaikovsky francesca da rimini
- mussorgsky/ravel pictures at an exhibition
- dvorak 9
- elgar enigma variations
- Shostakovich 1 and 5
- Respighi pines of rome
- Britten peter grimes 4 sea interludes

And, as a bonus, John Cage 4'33", which also as an epic opening  haha jk
But please, feel free to say anything!


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## World Violist

Britten's War Requiem really has an epic ending if you don't mind quiet endings being counted as epic.

I definitely agree with your Mahler recommendations... How about the third?

Shosty 7 is pretty much the most epic ending I've ever heard in my life, no joke.

Ravel's Bolero, despite its repetitive nature, has a very smashing ending, and the repetition only adds to the tension. The E major right at the end is like an explosion.

So yes, those are what I think of as definitely epic.


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## Sid James

*Sibelius'* _Symphony No. 5_ immediately comes to mind (as does the _Lemminkainen Suite_, to a degree - but the whole thing can be described as 'epic' really). Also, *Scriabin's* _Poem of Ecstasy _& *Nielsen's *_Symphony No. 4 'The inextinguishable_.'


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## Tapkaara

The ending to Sibelius 2 is fairly epic...massively heroic, anyway. Also the ending to his Kullervo is pretty big.

Much of Ifukube ends with a bang. One ending that comes to mind is the balley Salome. When Herod tells the guards to seize and kill Salome, one gets the impression from the music they are tearing her to shreads.

Beethoven's 9th...Pictures at an Exhibition...


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## ScipioAfricanus

Bruckner's Symphony no 8.


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## TWhite

Hmm--Epic. I suppose that also means "Satisfying?" If so, I'm definitely with Mahler #1 and 5, and Sibelus #2(and while we're at it, the Tchiakovsky #2 "Little Russian") but oddly enough, one of the most satisfying endings to a symphony for me is the climax of the Rachmaninov 2nd Symphony. He really wraps everything up in the last moments of the finale, turning that eerie 'motto' theme that begins the symphony into a blazing E-Major Chorale, and then 'unbuttoning' himself contrasting it with a variation on the opening 4th movement dance. It's just a ZINGER, IMO. I lift out of my seat with a big grin every time I hear it. 

On another, more 'serious' note, the final bars of the Brahms Fourth just leave me gasping. How he manages to turn a Chaconne into a Sonata-Allegro finale still makes me admire that work more and more, every time I hear it. And the ending is just devastating for me. 

Tom


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## World Violist

ScipioAfricanus said:


> Bruckner's Symphony no 8.


On the subject of Bruckner (and I absolutely agree with the 8th being on here, which almost embodies epicness for many people), I think the 4th can also be epic in the right hands (and by that I really mean Celibidache...).

I'd also like to nominate the searing ending of Sibelius' 7th. It always leaves me totally satisfied and emotionally exhausted.


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## Argus

Also Sprach Zarathustra played backwards.


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## Weston

I can't top that ^

(If epic is used in its real meaning, I'd say _Gotterdamerung _is an epic ending. I can't honestly remember its ending though. Almost all of Beethoven's endings are epic in that they go on and on and on . . . The most epic ending to me is "Fuga a 3 Soggetti /Contrapunctus XIV" from _The Art of the Fugue _)


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## rojo

Big, epic endings for me:

Debussy - _La Mer_
Ravel - _La Valse_

and these two especially:

Ravel - _Daphnis et Chloe_
Stravinsky - _Firebird_

Mind-blowing.


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## Tapkaara

Argus said:


> Also Sprach Zarathustra played backwards.


Absolutely brilliant. One might be able to say that about The Planets, too...


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## JAKE WYB

*NIELSEN - 5th symphony *- to me no other symphony has such a competely unspoilt surge of energy building up to a perfect blazing conclusion
* 
SHOSTAKOVICH - 7th *sympohny saw live - loudest thing i ever heard but *11th* better and morepowerful withthe bass clarinet then the Bells

*VW - 9th symphony* has a very magnificent and original ending

*BAX* - long magical epilogues of the *2nd and 3rd symphonies *are unbeaten in long twilight fading endings

*sibelius* - i have always felt let down by the endings of symphony 2 and 5 they leave me feelig distinctly dissatisfied but *6* is to me the quintessential slow and dark ending - perfect

*BRUCKNER 8* - cant really beat it for granduer


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## starry

Tchaikovsky 5
Elgar 1
Sibelius 5
Schumann 3
Mozart 41
Beethoven 7
Haydn 103


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## tahnak

rojo said:


> Stravinsky - _Firebird_
> 
> Mind-blowing.


Yes Stravinsky's L'Oiseau Du Feu - The Firebird is epic ending.
Since we are confining ourselves to orchestral endings, I would like to add:
Rimsky Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol
Mussorgsky/Ravel - Pictures at an Exhibition
Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique
Bruckner - Symphony No. 8
Mahler - Titan - Symphony No. 1
Shostakovich - Leningrad Symphony No. 7.


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## starry

I'll add Brahms 2.


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## TWhite

Forgot to mention Rimsky-Korskakov's RUSSIAN EASTER OVERTURE. Hoo-boy, does THAT climax blaze with the full orchestra plus that huge gong! 

And mentioning Ravel's LA VALSE. That is one of the bitterest, most crushing endings I've ever heard in an orchestral piece. Devastating! 

And Sibelius' LEMMINKAINEN'S RETURN isn't bad, either, especially that final huge chord that almost doesn't resolve until the last, thundering WHACK! Lordy, that piece is fun!

And I don't know about "Epic" or not, but the final, good-natured rowdy ending to the Dvorak 8th Symphony always makes me grin a lot, even if the French horns are exausted and it ends on a 'weak' beat. At least there's a full measure of rest written into the score after that, LOL! Absolutely lovely symphony in my opinion--actually next to his Sixth, my favorite Dvorak.

Tom


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## Fsharpmajor

*Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung) by Richard Strauss:*

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*


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## Sorin Eushayson

This came to mind immediately when I saw the title of the thread...


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## Jeremy Marchant

Do we think that being merely loud qualifies an ending as being epic?

I nominate Stockhausen's _Hymnen_. After an epic journey of two hours, which starts Bruckner-like (or Nielsen 5 for that matter) with snippets of music from around the planet emerging from the ether, the whole world is concentrated and focussed down on to the sound of one man breathing.


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## woodwind_fan

Definitely agree with Mahler 1 and Shostakovich 11 (those bells are so awesome!!!). I also think the whole 5th movement of Symphonie Fantastique is pretty epic too...

Beethoven's 5th is also pretty epic in terms of how many tonic chords/perfect cadences you can put in an ending


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## shsherm

The Tchaikovsky 6th has the most amazing finale but of course it's only the third movement. I've been to several concerts where the audience is convinced that the third movement is the end.


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## Josef Anton Bruckner

Yes, I would say that Bruckner rules the "epic ending" category, as a few before have said. Every single one of his symphonies, aside from his unfinished ninth, ends with a bang.


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## Chopin_Fan777

For me, the most epic I've heard was the ending to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 1 and the ending to Von Weber's Der Freischutz Overture. Both had a booming climax at the end, but both still kept its respective musicality in place.


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## Aggelos

I few compositions that have epic finales.

Tchaikovsky : Marche Slave Op. 31
Bach-Respighi : Passacaglia & Fugue BWV 582 
Mussorgsky / Sir Henry Wood : Pictures at an Exhibition
Mussorgsky / Leopold Stokowski : Pictures at an Exhibition
Bach-Stokowski : Fantasy & Fugue In G Minor BWV 542
Bach/ Dimitri Mitropoulos : Fantasy & Fugue In G Minot BWV 542
Bach / Leopold Stokowski : Little Fugue in G Minor BWV 578
Bach / Lucien Cailliet : Little Fugue in G Minor BWV 578
Bach-Stokowski : Toccata & Fugue In D Minor BWV 565
Bach-Stokowski : Passacaglia & Fugue in C Minot BWV 582

Mussorgsky / Douglas Gamley : Pictures at an Exhibition - Great Gate of Kiev (*forget Ravel! We have full orchestra, men's choir, organ and plenty of bells for one of the most epic/resplendent Russian finales*!  I am terribly sorry to say it, but Ravel's "Great Gate of Kiev" sounds insufficient in compare to Gamley's)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Gamley

Purcell / Sir Henry Wood : New Suite


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## bigham45

I have to agree with Mahler's 2nd. No lie...I get chill bumps every time I listen to it!


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## JAKE WYB

Mahler 2nd ending never quite hits the button for me - the hugheness of the work and the slow build up towars the end is never done justice by the slightly too lightly scored final chord (imo) and the plop at the end which sounds like the end to some operatic overture than one of the most epic musical experiences imaginable


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## Huilunsoittaja

rojo said:


> Big, epic endings for me:
> 
> Ravel - _Daphnis et Chloe_
> 
> Mind-blowing.


Definitely. I had a nightmare about it, I was trying to play the flute part of the Danse Generale. Very frightening. 

And Shostakovich 10 has a great finale!!!


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## teccomin

Try Bruckner 4. Its long, just skip to the last 3 minutes of the last movement and soak in the build up to one of the most epic ending climax.

Oh, and has anyone mentioned La Valse?


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## Serenade

Argus said:


> Also Sprach Zarathustra played backwards.


My family asked why I was laughing so much so I told them and now they are laughing too!


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## Falstaft

Kurt Atterberg's 3rd Symphony (West-Coast Pictures) is currently rocking my world. Give it a listen and I guarantee you'll be blown away by the ending of the last movement.


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## bassClef

Mahler's Resurrection


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## Serge

shsherm said:


> The Tchaikovsky 6th has the most amazing finale but of course it's only the third movement. I've been to several concerts where the audience is convinced that the third movement is the end.


It's not very difficult to imagine what a shock what follows must have been to them.


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## MattTheTubaGuy

epic endings:
Shostakovich 7
Vaughan Williams 9 with the harp at the end
Rimsky Korsakov Easter overture, which I STILL haven't played yet.
how about Respighi Pines of the Appian Way from The Pines of Rome.

most definitely Janacek's Sinfonietta. when the trumpets come in in the last movement, Just Wow....


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## Ravellian

Tchaikovsky 4!! The ending always makes me jump out of my seat and start jumping around  It's just so incredible.. 

The finales to the Ravel Bolero and the Shostakovitch are probably the most epic I've heard, but they're rather bombastic pieces overall so it's somewhat less exciting than the Tchaikovsky when you get to the big finish (contrast does wonders).


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## gmubandgeek

While probably not the most epic, Haydn's 45th (Farewell) takes the cake for the most original. I also think Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" has an incredible fifth movement.


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## SuperTonic

Seems like everyone equates loud endings with being epic. To me, epic means I feel like I've been through an ordeal and have been changed in some way by the experience. It brings to mind the great epic poems, where the protagonists literally go through heaven and hell and face unimaginable trials along the way. There are many pieces that have loud endings, but I can only think of a few works that leave me with the same sense of catharsis that I associate with epic poetry.

Mahler's 2nd does it for me. Beethoven's 9th as well.


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## alan sheffield

*Epic ending*

I agree with quite a few of previous contributors:

Nielsen 4th and 5th Symphonies
Bruckner 8th (but it does take a while to get there!)
Mahler 2nd 
Sibelius 7th

I would also like to add a few, perhaps slightly idiosyncratic, suggestions:

Malcolm Arnold 5th symphony - The way he reprises the big tune from the second movement and then makes it dissolve into something quite different always takes my breath away. This is a "tears streaming down face" piece for me.

Havergal Brian - 9th Symphony - Another "obvious" ending yet tremendously original

Vaughan Williams 6th Symphony - The opposite of a traditional barnstorming finish but completely original and unrepeatable

Shostakovich 4th symphony - The anticipation of the last note on the celeste. This is a composer of genius.

Walton 1st Symphony - A blazing end to one of the greatest symphonies ever written


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## maestro267

I always thought Mahler 3 had the longest final chord in music, until I discovered both Shostakovich 4 and 15. The strings hold the final chords for close to two minutes.


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## Nix

John Adams- Violin Concerto

Just heard this, and wow... just wow.


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## anshuman

SuperTonic said:


> Seems like everyone equates loud endings with being epic. To me, epic means I feel like I've been through an ordeal and have been changed in some way by the experience. It brings to mind the great epic poems, where the protagonists literally go through heaven and hell and face unimaginable trials along the way. There are many pieces that have loud endings, but I can only think of a few works that leave me with the same sense of catharsis that I associate with epic poetry.
> 
> Mahler's 2nd does it for me. Beethoven's 9th as well.


I agree with you. The meaning of 'epical' is always loosely interpreted. Works that are too long or loud might not give you a feeling of passing through an ordeal or whatyou call an experience. A Beethoven,a Schubert or even a Smetana quartet ('From My Life') is for me epical. For me works like a Mahler symphony doesn't appear epical as it sounds sometimes disjointed, prone to long interludes of reverie with sudden bursts of passion. For me(at the risk of sounding pedantic) the epical qualities of a work lie in the strong connections that a musician makes between different parts. As Romain Rolland said of Beethoven,everything looks spontaneous but everthing is connected. This is not to say that Mahler is a lesser musician but that his works evoke a different response.


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## Chris

The end of Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, when Purcell's theme comes back, is pretty exciting.


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## Whistlerguy

I haven't listened to very many symphonies and other orchestral works so far, but of these that I have listened to, I must say, that finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, is BY FAR the most epic. This never fails to amaze me.


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## Kjell

The ending of neptune from Gustav Holst's The Planets is just amazing. The ending of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezerade is great too.


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## le_sacre

agree^7 with everyone suggesting Shostakovich 7. i remember playing it in youth orchestra (on flute) and nearly passing out. also heard the london philharmonic play it live in a concert in madrid in '99, and the performance of the finale was electrifyingly extraordinary. i almost never succumb to the pressure to do a standing ovation, but i was the first on my feet for that one--and noticed then that the spanish seem a bit more reticent about that than the americans.

the ending to Beethoven's fidelio overture is certainly epic in a way: that one just keeps ending and ending.

when i'm running on the treadmill, the ending to John Adams's "short ride in a fast machine" definitely gives me a huge surge of energy.

for those "quiet" epic endings, Mahler's "das lied von der erde" sure takes you on a journey.


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## angusdegraosta

alan sheffield said:


> I agree with quite a few of previous contributors:
> 
> I would also like to add a few, perhaps slightly idiosyncratic, suggestions:
> [...]
> Walton 1st Symphony - A blazing end to one of the greatest symphonies ever written


I so agree about Walton's First being an all-time great, in a way that captures the spirit of the 20th century. Epic in every way, including the finale.


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## PicklePepperPiper

le_sacre said:


> the ending to Beethoven's fidelio overture is certainly epic in a way: that one just keeps ending and ending.


I'll tell you what keeps ending, and ending, and ending. Smetana's _Vltava_ from _Ma Vlast_. First it's the Moldau theme, then the High Castle theme, then bouncing from EMaj to BMaj, then EMaj arpeggios, then a orchestral dim, then two smashing chords at the end in a satisfying cadence. Man, I love it, but it takes forever!

I will get shot if I mention this, because nobody has yet... maybe because it is far too obvious? _1812 Overture_! Cannons! Freaking hell! Mind you, they have to be real cannons otherwise the whole piece amounts to nothing.

Also Rimsky-Korsakov's _Le Coq D'or_. Epic angry circus music, as I see it. Fantastic end.

-PPP


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## Chris

PicklePepperPiper said:


> I will get shot if I mention this, because nobody has yet... maybe because it is far too obvious? _1812 Overture_! Cannons! Freaking hell! Mind you, they have to be real cannons otherwise the whole piece amounts to nothing.
> 
> -PPP


And the cannons should be fired randomly. In some recordings they go off on the beat as if they're part of the orchestra, which is all wrong.

I once heard the 1812 performed with the kettledrums serving for cannons. Never again.


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## SuperTonic

When I was in high school our school orchestra did the 1812 Overture. We had one of the chemistry teachers at the school fill up balloons with some kind of explosive gas (he wouldn't tell us what it was). During the performance one of the percussionsts was down in the orchestra pit setting them off with a blow torch. It was a pretty effective canon simulation, although I'm sure we violated every fire safety code in the book.

I was principal cello so I was sitting up front and near the center of the stage. I kept getting pelted with hot balloon bits every time they set one off which wasn't pleasant.


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## mueske

PicklePepperPiper said:


> I'll tell you what keeps ending, and ending, and ending. Smetana's _Vltava_ from _Ma Vlast_. First it's the Moldau theme, then the High Castle theme, then bouncing from EMaj to BMaj, then EMaj arpeggios, then a orchestral dim, then two smashing chords at the end in a satisfying cadence. Man, I love it, but it takes forever!


I don't really remember that ending... Hmm, but it can't possibly be as long as the coda to Tchaikovsky's first symphony..! I laugh every time I listen to it. And I'm not sure if it's positive or negative laughter.


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## PicklePepperPiper

I have performed so many dodgy versions of 1812 with various community orchestras - one time they blew up an amp with the trial run of the cannon sound clip just before the concert began. Needless to say, electronically generated cannons just do not compare to the blowing up of amps.

Also, I think it was the Boston Pops Orchestra (don't quote me on that one) that performed 1812 with a choir just for the brass chorale before the coda. Pretty damn well epic.
-PPP


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## Bobular

Joined the forum just to partake in this thread! Lots of great suggestions. Some new and some old that I haven't listened to in ages.

They've been mentioned already but I would say these get me going the most:

Britten, Young person's guide...
Rachmaninov 2 (symphony)
Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini
Elgar 1

I'm a big fan of epic romps to the finishing post. 

And then for a non-epic drifting away into infinity ending, there's Mahler 4 and Bruckner 9 (I guess that was intentional though).
Charles Tournemire does some mad endings on the organ also. Check out L'orgue mystique...


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## Nix

Some that haven't been mentioned:

Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto- a gleefully epic ending I'd say
Beethoven Violin Concerto- another gleefully epic ending, but with a little more "umph" to it
Elgar Violin Concerto- giant chords and then the violin rockets off into the sky
Mozart Piano Concerto #20- powerful dark cadenza followed by a victorious ending
Sibelius Symphony #3
Dvorak Symphony #8


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## maestro267

A recently-discovered (for me) epic ending is that of the Second Symphony (in C minor) by Alfredo Casella. A huge build-up, with the orchestra joined by pealing bells and organ in a blazing C major climax.


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## johnfkavanagh

I agree with the mentions for Tchaikovsky 4, Beethoven 9, Walton 1 and Sibelius 5. Let me add to that a few quieter but still epic endings: Bax 7, Tippett 2 and Stravinsky Symphony in C.


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## Vesteralen

Nix said:


> Some that haven't been mentioned:
> 
> Dvorak Symphony #8


Oh yes! Definitely.

(Though, looking back, I see someone else _had_ mentioned this.)


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## Vesteralen

JAKE WYB said:


> *NIELSEN - 5th symphony *- to me no other symphony has such a completely unspoilt surge of energy building up to a perfect blazing conclusion


Naturally, I'm going to agree with this!


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## clavichorder

Copland's 1st symphony has a tremendously "snappy" ending. I refer to the version without the organ.


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## itywltmt

Vesteralen said:


> Naturally, I'm going to agree with this!


I can't disagree, but would you not agree the most interesting "start" for a work is the beginnijng of Nielsen's 4th?


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## Norse

One work I've heard live that I remember specifically for its ending is Scriabin's Poeme de l'Extase (also referred to as the 4th symphony). It was mostly because of the sheer volume of sound. I don't think I've ever heard an orchestra make so much overwhelming, glorious noise as in that ending. It's something that cannot be recreated with a recording, plus in this interpretation the last huge, crescendo chord was very drawn out. Unlike in some recordings I've heard, it went on for quite some time, which made it extra awesome.


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## Ukko

If a 'big' ending can be one that leaves one transfixed, in a second-hand state of despair (second-hand is much less painful than first-hand), I'll nominate Tchaikovsky's 6th.

Loud endings don't do much for me lately; back in the day, that's different.


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## waldvogel

A few that may or may not have been mentioned:

Hindemith's _Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Karl Maria von Weber_. Just one rip-roaring exciting ending.

Brahms' _Variations on a Theme by Haydn_. After the magnificent return of the original theme, Brahms seems to run out of steam. It looks like we're going to have a quiet, gentle ending, then BANG!!!

Tchaikovsky's _Capriccio Italien_. There's a dizzying bunch of rapid-fire fragments of the themes, that all get caught in a wild tarentella-like rhythm. It can't be explained as much as absorbed...


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## regressivetransphobe

Mahler's 7th is pretty epic, but probably too epic. It doesn't seem to thematically address anything in the other movements.

It's like: doom, wanderlust, weirdness...

SUDDENLY TRIUMPH!

Despite that, I like it.


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## samurai

Having just come away from listening--for the first time--to Nielsen's First Symphony, I was really impressed with it overall, especially its final movement. As far as an epic ending goes, I think this definitely fits the bill. One must play it loud, however, to get the maximum effect: Carl Nielsen – Symphony No. 1 In G Minor, Op. 7, FS 16: IV. Finale. Allegro Con Fuoco


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## Il_Penseroso

From what I remember at the moment : 

Beethoven Symphony No.5

Liszt Les Preludes 

Mussorgsky Night on the bare Mountain (Rimsky Korsakov Version)

Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5

Sibelius Symphony No.2

Stravinsky The Firebird Suite 

Shostakovich Symphony No.11


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## tdc

I like the ending of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.


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## clavichorder

The ending for William Schuman's third is for the most part quite epic until the final chord, which leaves you wanting more and feels a bit brief. That is my one major criticism of the integrity of the work, but the rest of the finale building up to it is quite epic.


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## Curiosity

Beethoven 5. Twenty-nine bars of fortissimo C major... bliss.


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## Artemis

Curiosity said:


> Beethoven 5. Twenty-nine bars of fortissimo C major... bliss.


 Have you ever tried listening to anything but Beethoven? You keep telling us about things that I reckon 99% of us know only too well, because it's bog-standard first year entry stuff.


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## itywltmt

Curiosity said:


> Beethoven 5. Twenty-nine bars of fortissimo C major... bliss.


Beethoven's 8th, 4tn movement, the longest coda (ever?) and a fairly brisk ending... Not epic, but certainly interesting.


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## samurai

As I just finished almost getting blown out of my chair after listening to the final movement of Tchaikovsky's *5th* *Symphony, *it definitely would get the nod from me. I apologize if this has already been suggested in an earlier post, but I just got blown away by it!


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## clavichorder

samurai said:


> As I just finished almost getting blown out of my chair after listening to the final movement of Tchaikovsky's *5th* *Symphony, *it definitely would get the nod from me. I apologize if this has already been suggested in an earlier post, but I just got blown away by it!


@ Samuria, if you haven't heard Tchaikovsky's 1st, the ending to it, I suggest you check it out! Also the ending to Dvorak's 8th, though you've probably heard that one.


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## samurai

@ clavichorder, You're right; I'll listen to Tchaikovsky's First on *Spotify*. Since I have the Dvorak Eighth in my collection, I'll definitely give that another go tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up on these!


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## regressivetransphobe

Artemis said:


> Have you ever tried listening to anything but Beethoven? You keep telling us about things that I reckon 99% of us know only too well, because it's bog-standard first year entry stuff.


It's a better contribution than this post of yours is. Caustic and edgy is only charming on TV.


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## Delicious Manager

A few that haven't been mentioned:

*Atterberg* - Symphony No 3
*Janáček* - Sinfonietta
*Rakhmaninov* - Symphonic Dances
*Shchedrin* - Anna Karenina (a superb aural depiction of a suicide by throwing oneself under a train)
*Skryabin* - The Poem of Ecstasy 
*Varèse* - Amériques (the most forceful ending of any piece I know)


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## Norse

Delicious Manager said:


> A few that haven't been mentioned:
> *Skryabin* - The Poem of Ecstasy


Actually, I mentioned that. Unless Scriabin and Skryabin are different composers.


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## Delicious Manager

Norse said:


> Actually, I mentioned that. Unless Scriabin and Skryabin are different composers.


Sorry, I missed it. Yes, they're the same (just different transliterations from the Cyrillic)


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## Norse

Yeah, I was joking around. Russian names can be a pain, they're usually spelled differently in English, French and German. And I'm sure there are way more variants than that. For instance, in Norwegian we write "Tsjaikovskij" and "Sjostakovitsj".


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## Delicious Manager

Norse said:


> Yeah, I was joking around. Russian names can be a pain, they're usually spelled differently in English, French and German. And I'm sure there are way more variants than that. For instance, in Norwegian we write "Tsjaikovskij" and "Sjostakovitsj".


Yup - many languages sharing a common (Roman) alphabet, but needing different things from it. The silly English spelling of 'Tchaikovsky' gets on my nerves (what's the 'T' for??). And English-speaking people who think it's smart to spell it 'Tschaikowsky' (the legitimate spelling in GERMAN) really get my goat.


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## samurai

clavichorder said:


> @ Samuria, if you haven't heard Tchaikovsky's 1st, the ending to it, I suggest you check it out! Also the ending to Dvorak's 8th, though you've probably heard that one.


You are definitely spot on about the Dvorak finale for his 8th! I love the way it opens on a flourish of trumpets; very impressive and attention grabbing.


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## samurai

I would add the final movement of Nielsen's *3rd **Symphony {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} *to our list: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 3, Op. 27, FS 60, "Sinfonia Espansiva" : IV. Finale. Allegro


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## itywltmt

samurai said:


> I would add the final movement of Nielsen's *3rd **Symphony {"Sinfonia Espansiva"} *to our list: Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 3, Op. 27, FS 60, "Sinfonia Espansiva" : IV. Finale. Allegro


That movement was a long-time theme for the old Sunday evening arts anthology show _Les beaux dimanches_ on Radio-Canada. Lovely!


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## TrazomGangflow

That's a good question. I'm not sure about that but I can think of a piece with an ending quite opposite. When I last went to the philharmonic the last piece was Scheherazade. The violin solos were impeccable along with the majority of the piece however I found the ending to be quite boring. I know the story that the song represents doesn't merit an exciting ending but I thought that a piece that beautiful deserved a better ending.


----------



## itywltmt

TrazomGangflow said:


> That's a good question. I'm not sure about that but I can think of a piece with an ending quite opposite. When I last went to the philharmonic the last piece was Scheherazade. The violin solos were impeccable along with the majority of the piece however I found the ending to be quite boring. I know the story that the song represents doesn't merit an exciting ending but I thought that a piece that beautiful deserved a better ending.


Scheherazade does end in a wimper (sp?), that is a fact. Lots of pieces do - think of some of Richard Strauss' tone poems, for example. All of them start with a bang, but the endings, not so much...


----------



## samurai

Having just listened to Howard Hanson's *Nordic* *Symphony on Spotify,* I would now enter its final movement into the tilt: Howard Hanson - Symphony No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 21, "Nordic": III. Allegro Con Fuoco


----------



## Dimboukas

I think Dvorak's Cello Concerto has a fantastic finale. Especially that ascending arpeggio at the end!


----------



## kv466

Now, I'm not saying the is the 'most' epic ending as so many good ones have been mentioned...the very end of this particular recording, however, is the very definition of the word and always transports me into a state of utter bliss.

The majesty in question is at minute mark 9:34 and it is the slowest and more gorgeous ending to this concerto I have ever heard.


----------



## chalkpie

Ameriques by Varese certainly must be mentioned here


----------



## MattTheTubaGuy

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but the end of Kullervo by Sibelius is pretty epic!





10:50 for super epicness!


----------



## samurai

The final movement from Copland's *Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: *Leonard Bernstein;E. Power Biggs;New York Philharmonic - Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: III. Finale: Lento; Allegro moderato 4/4


----------



## chalkpie

Good call on the Copland!


----------



## samurai

chalkpie said:


> Good call on the Copland!


Thank You for that; it was my first time ever listening to it, and I was really quite moved by the majestic effect which the organ added to the overall mood of the work, especially in its last movement.


----------



## chalkpie

samurai said:


> Thank You for that; it was my first time ever listening to it, and I was really quite moved by the majestic effect which the organ added to the overall mood of the work, especially in its last movement.


Right on. Copland hit three home runs with symphonies IMO - they are all completely different from each other, yet they all radiate what Copland was about at each specific time in which they were written. His second is just brilliant.


----------



## clavichorder

samurai said:


> The final movement from Copland's *Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: *Leonard Bernstein;E. Power Biggs;New York Philharmonic - Symphony for Organ and Orchestra: III. Finale: Lento; Allegro moderato 4/4


Its nice in the version without the organ as well! But really, what a "snappy" piece of work.


----------



## samurai

clavichorder said:


> Its nice in the version without the organ as well! But really, what a "snappy" piece of work.


@ Clavichorder, I wasn't even aware that there was a version sans organ. Is it a numbered symphony? And, if it is, would you know which number?


----------



## clavichorder

It is his symphony number 1. http://www.amazon.com/Copland-Dance-Symphony-No-Short/dp/B001FENYDU


----------



## samurai

@ Clavichorder, Thanks for that; while I was "noodling around" on *Spotify*, I realized that it had to be his *1st* *Symphony*.


----------



## Ian

I'll add my vote for the 3rd movement of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto! Most exciting ending I've heard!

Ian


----------



## Philip

PicklePepperPiper said:


> I will get shot if I mention this, because nobody has yet... maybe because it is far too obvious? _1812 Overture_! Cannons! Freaking hell! Mind you, they have to be real cannons otherwise the whole piece amounts to nothing.


+++++++1

The Telarc recording of the 1812 Overture is without a doubt, one of the most epic endings ever recorded. The dynamic range of the cannons is incredible. Anyone with a high-end subwoofer will appreciate this recording to the fullest, sound waves pounding in your chest.


----------



## samurai

I would add this final stanza from *Symphony* *No*.*53* of Alan Hovhaness, with its Ravel like jazzy opening to the majestic fill, build and quite epic coda a short time later: 
Alan Hovhaness - Symphony No. 53, Op. 378, "Star Dawn": II. Moderato Sostenuto Con Molta Espressione 
I would also feel quite remiss if I didn't include the last movement from Bizet's *1st* *Symphony* as well: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 1 in C Major: IV. Allegro vivace


----------



## samurai

The final stanza from Nielsen's magisterial *4th* *Symphony {"The Inextinguishable"}: *Carl Nielsen - Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, FS 76, "The Inextinguishable" : IV. Con Anima - Allegro.


----------



## ProudSquire

For me, it would have to be Mozart's piano concerto in D minor. I've always loved that ending, with its humble closing gesture. It just feels so appropriate, not sure if I'm right in saying that, but that is how I perceive it. 

Other favorites of mine include: Mozart 41 "Jupiter" symphony, and Piano Concerto #25. 
Beethoven's 6 "Pastoral" symphony. Hummel's Piano Concerto #3 and #5.

I seem to be enjoy Hummel's 5th piano concerto quite a bit :}.


----------



## Eviticus

I've just listened to Bruckner 8 as recommended by many members on the early pages. I was disappointed... Maybe the definition of epic should be defined more clearly as i have a different idea.

The blazing ending of LvBs Symphony No.5 is what i'd call epic, or the journey Brahms takes us through on his first symphony with the horn like sunshine breaking through the clouds during a storm.  Sibelius 5 is another good one.


----------



## teccomin

Eviticus said:


> I've just listened to Bruckner 8 as recommended by many members on the early pages. I was disappointed... Maybe the definition of epic should be defined more clearly as i have a different idea.
> 
> The blazing ending of LvBs Symphony No.5 is what i'd call epic, or the journey Brahms takes us through on his first symphony with the horn like sunshine breaking through the clouds during a storm. Sibelius 5 is another good one.


Did you just fast forward to the ending and listen? Endings are meaningless without listening to the stuff before it, take movies for example. Anyway, Bruckner is cult music, very few people would enjoy it.

My favourite ending would be Prokofiev 5.


----------



## Oskaar

teccomin said:


> Anyway, Bruckner is cult music, very few people would enjoy it.


I have not discovered Bruckner yet. But watching some posts in the "currently listening" thread, I notice that a lot of people like him!


----------



## Eviticus

teccomin said:


> Did you just fast forward to the ending and listen? Endings are meaningless without listening to the stuff before it, take movies for example. Anyway, Bruckner is cult music, very few people would enjoy it.
> 
> My favourite ending would be Prokofiev 5.


Yes, i only listened to the final movement. I'm quite a fan of Bruckners 7th (especially the third movement).


----------



## Oskaar

The ending of Sibelius symphony no. 2 is very epic and fabolous.


----------



## EarthBoundRules

Since I don't think it was mentioned yet, I'll say the that finale of _Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette_ is one of my all time favourite endings. The raw power in the last 5 minutes is astounding even out of context, but especially after experiencing the work as a whole.


----------



## Frasier

Just to suggest the last movement and particularly the coda of Rosenberg's Symphony No. 3


----------



## brpaulandrew

Forty years ago, I heard the Klemperer's last movement of the Mahler 2nd Symphony for the first time on a stereo record. The chorus, orchestra and organ at the ending is still the epic one that stays in my mind.


----------



## LordBlackudder

moonlight sonata.


----------



## gabem

I'd like to repeat an earlier post and suggest the Firebird suite as one and probably if we can count overtures...1812 Overture.


----------



## Norse

The ending of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky is pretty epic. I couldn't find my favorite recording with Abbado/London on youtube, but here's a live performance of the whole cantata. The final movement (Alexander's Entry into Pskov) begins at 34:24. After a more 'playful' middle section, the epic ending begins around 37:13. Sadly the sound quality on youtube doesn't handle the epicness very well.  (or maybe the recording wasn't that good to begin with)


----------



## LordBlackudder

This has the best ending around 3:25 it starts.


----------



## Philip

somehow i knew you were going to post something like this... :lol:


----------



## DavidMahler

It has to be Mahler's 8. The whole 90 minutes is an epic ending LOL


----------



## opium

I know I'm in a phase of admiration of his work, but the finale to Shostakovich's 5th is phenomenal.


----------



## mleghorn

La Valse
La Mer
Mahler 2, 8
Pines of Rome
Firebird
Rite of Spring
Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Gotterdammerung (even though they're from operas, the endings are orchestral)
Beethoven 3, 7, 9
Tchaikovsky 4, 5
Shostakovich 1, 4 (quite by stirring), 6, 11
Elgar 2
Vaughan Williams 4, 8, 9
The Planets (the fade with the off stage chorus)


----------



## mleghorn

mleghorn said:


> La Valse
> La Mer
> Mahler 2, 8
> Pines of Rome
> Firebird
> Rite of Spring
> Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Gotterdammerung (even though they're from operas, the endings are orchestral)
> Beethoven 3, 7, 9
> Tchaikovsky 4, 5
> Shostakovich 1, 4 (quite by stirring), 6, 11
> Elgar 2
> Vaughan Williams 4, 8, 9
> The Planets (the fade with the off stage chorus)


I forgot to include Dvorak's 9th -- certainly one of the most epic, exciting, and ingeniously crafted endings in a symphony.


----------



## Itullian

Brahms 1,2 and 4
Schubert 9
all Schumann
Mahler 1


----------



## Jeremy Marchant

In my masterpiece, symphony no 23, I ask one of the percussionists to detonate a small thermonuclear device at the apocalyptic modulation to F sharp minor in the last movement. Unfortunately, at its first, and only, performance by the Milwaukee State Penitentiary Young Offenders’ Symphony Orchestra, the conductor, Gaylord Hackenbecker III, decreed that such an effect risked breaching state health and safety legislation and instructed that it should be replaced with a piece of wood being hit with a big stick. Despite the evident enthusiasm and panache with which the percussionist executed his task – perhaps influenced by his being incarcerated for the battery and murder of his entire family – it has to be said that there was something lacking in the result.


----------



## Igneous01

the final part of dvoraks stabat mater, where an excerpt of the first part returns but instead of hitting a giant minor chord, it hits a giant d major chord, with the chorale breaking out. Fantastic ending, gives me shivers :






unfortunately this is the only recording on youtube, but still what an amazing performance. Starts at 2:00 ish


----------



## appoggiatura

Dvorak's Stabat Mater ending is great indeed.

I would nominate:
Tchaikovsky 4th symphony, the epic 4th mvt 
Rachmaninoff 1st symphony last movement is incredibly intense.
Of course there are a lot more epic endings..


----------



## Eviticus

End of the first movement of the Manfred Symphony.

Starts about 5:20 on this recording


----------



## PetrB

John Adams' Dharma at Big Sur, for six-string electric violin and orchestra (in two contiguous movements) manages to take a dance-like movement from pleasantly happy to an apotheosis of ecstasy.
II. Sri Sunshine


----------



## Il_Penseroso

Just listened to Glazunov's Symphonic Poem Stenka Razin, written when the composer was only 20 years old, the ending is terrific, so touching , and one of the most epic ones I know.


----------



## samurai

Again, from Tchaikovsky's *Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *this most rousing of finales: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian": IV. Finale: Moderato assai - Allegro vivo.


----------



## tahnak

samurai said:


> Again, from Tchaikovsky's *Symphony No.2 in C Minor, Op.17 {"Little Russian"}, *this most rousing of finales: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian": IV. Finale: Moderato assai - Allegro vivo.


It is a good observation. Of all the performances that I have heard of the Little Russian, this is the most intensely charged of them all. Bernstein excels in the final pages.


----------



## tahnak

Il_Penseroso said:


> Just listened to Glazunov's Symphonic Poem Stenka Razin, written when the composer was only 20 years old, the ending is terrific, so touching , and one of the most epic ones I know.


Yes. Inspired by your comments and some other before, I went to Glazunov's Stenka Razin and found it a good symphonic poem. I also came across a classic Wiener Philharmonic recording with Wilhelm Furtwangler that I have posted as a separate thread. You may visit that.


----------



## tahnak

Eviticus said:


> End of the first movement of the Manfred Symphony.
> 
> Starts about 5:20 on this recording


Yes. It is a magnificent performance of this Manfred First Movement . Very crisp and full of punch. Excellent. Also like the profile picture portrait of a young Piotr Ilyich.


----------



## tahnak

Igneous01 said:


> the final part of dvoraks stabat mater, where an excerpt of the first part returns but instead of hitting a giant minor chord, it hits a giant d major chord, with the chorale breaking out. Fantastic ending, gives me shivers :
> 
> Impressive by Vaclav Talich. Have to listen to the complete performance. I am going to put this down in my diary for the autumn season this year.


----------



## Il_Penseroso

tahnak said:


> Yes. Inspired by your comments and some other before, I went to Glazunov's Stenka Razin and found it a good symphonic poem. I also came across a classic Wiener Philharmonic recording with Wilhelm Furtwangler that I have posted as a separate thread. You may visit that.


I have Furtwängler with Berliner Philharmoniker, 1938. I didn't know about his Wiener Philharmoniker recording.

Edited...


----------



## Lisztian

Liszt - Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo. 10:30 on.


----------



## afterpostjack

I like the finale of Shostakovich's 7th symphony (most of the other stuff that I have thought about has been mentioned already).
But one of my absolute favorites at the moment is the finale of Bruckner's 4th symphony. Just magnificent: 



My favorite finales (and favorite works altogether) of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky are those of their 7th and 5th symphonies, respectively. The former finale goes best with Kleiber and one of Karajan's versions: 



, 



. The latter finale goes well together with Solti/CSO (not on Spotify, the duration is 13:10) as well as one of Karajan's versions: 



.


----------



## gabem

Whenever I hear the ending to Mahler's 3rd i get goosebumps and Imagine what it would be like to see Yosemite National Valley at sunset. Amazing and epic ending for sure!


----------



## Ellyll

This particular performance of Mahler's 8th, by Antoni Wit and the Warsaw National Philharmonic in 2005 (released 2006).

It is the most amazing finale I have ever heard.






(you may wish to toggle the quality higher with the little gear button)


----------



## jalex

Not an orchestral work, but an orchestral ending:


----------



## peeyaj

The symphony with horses and chariots. The fourth movement of Schubert's Great C Major, in which at the end, there is a relentless and stubborn fight between the triplets and the chords, until the C Major finally won over. That is one of the most epic ending I've heard.


----------



## gabem

I agree. i'd only add stravinsky's firebird and shosty 7. Also concerning 4'33'', coming from a music major in college, tehe lol


----------



## DeepR

One of my favorite endings is the choral finale of Scriabin's first symphony. It's a pity nobody has mentioned it.


----------



## DeepR

Also the Poem of Ecstasy (which has already been mentioned) and Prometheus; The Poem of Fire have grandiose endings!!

It only really works if you get a grasp of the piece and listened to it as a whole. I've heard Prometheus live. Greatest final chord ever.


----------



## Philip

(I've mentioned the 1812 Overture earlier in the thread, everyone needs to rediscover this piece, the Telarc recording!)

I'd like to add, again by Telarc:

Camille Saint-Saens: "Maestoso" from Symphony No. 3 in c minor, Op. 78 (Organ) (Michael Murray)


----------



## samurai

Tchaikovsky's *Symphony No.2 {"Little Russian"} *has recently become one of my favorite "go to" works. I am especially enamored of its fiery and uplifting finale: Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian": IV. Finale: Moderato assai - Allegro vivo.
What a difference in moods conveyed by this as contrasted with the *Pathetique'*s final stanza:
Leonard Bernstein;New York Philharmonic - Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique": IV. Finale. Adagio lamentoso - Andante.


----------



## woodwind_fan

This is not meant to be a serious candidate, but this is a pretty epic ending:





(Disclaimer: do not listen if you want the true ending of Mahler 2 'spoiled' for you - though I can still listen to the end of Mahler 2 without thinking of this, maybe because I think it is a truly epic ending of a truly epic symphony!)


----------



## Badinerie

Sibelius's 5th, the ending always seems so unexpected no matter how many times I hear it! If were on about the Pines of Rome then 'The Appian way' its brilliant because of the whole built up to the ending. 
Tchaikovsky March Slave, after some pretty epic music..Just wont let go! I keep thinking. " Put the baton down and walk away...


----------



## mitchflorida

Hands down, 1812 overture


----------



## mitchflorida

Philip said:


> (I've mentioned the 1812 Overture earlier in the thread, everyone needs to rediscover this piece, the Telarc recording!)


Do you have access to this version?

Amazing sound quality. Like being in St. Petersburg


----------



## DeepR




----------



## Philip

mitchflorida said:


> Do you have access to this version?
> 
> Amazing sound quality. Like being in St. Petersburg
> 
> View attachment 4671


No... I'll look into it.


----------



## Muddy

DeepR said:


>


This is astounding! Mahler's 8th is glorious!


----------



## hpowders

Schumann Symphony No. 2 Karajan/Berlin Philharmonic.


----------



## Becca

Peter Maxwell Davies - _Orkney Wedding with Sunrise_


----------



## Azol

While I agree with many suggestions above (Mahler 8 is great example of what I call 'epic' ending), I would like you to try more obscure composition - Melartin's Third Symphony, which has glorious, radiant ending (think 'M8 Lite' here)
Buildup begins at about 33min+


----------



## Harrille

Janacek Sinfonietta, the trumpets chiming in is unforgettable


----------



## Skilmarilion

Bruckner 5.


----------



## Dim7

Lol at first I didn't read whole title of that video and thought "17 minute coda??"


----------



## Avey

Dim7 said:


> Lol at first I didn't read whole title of that video and thought "17 minute coda??"


Epic, that is _ ._


----------



## techniquest

woodwind_fan said:


> This is not meant to be a serious candidate, but this is a pretty epic ending:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (Disclaimer: do not listen if you want the true ending of Mahler 2 'spoiled' for you - though I can still listen to the end of Mahler 2 without thinking of this, maybe because I think it is a truly epic ending of a truly epic symphony!)


So what was this? I can't access the video - maybe it's gone after all this time.


----------



## hapiper

I'll just throw my vote in for Beethoven's 9th, Schubert's 9th as well, they didn't call it "The Great" for nothing. <g>!


----------



## Rhombic

Quite amusing that the OP has already mentioned Barber's Second Essay for Orchestra... very "epic". The tonal ending for Lyatoshynsky, especially due to the suspended chord with the flute trill, can be described as epic. Beethoven, of course... A few Mahler ones, of course...

Off the beaten track:
The end of Hausseger's Natursymphonie is very epic too.
Hans Rott's Symphony in E Major, a rather different type of epicness.


----------



## Skilmarilion

Avey said:


> Epic, that is _ ._


Imagine being a woodwind player sitting in front of the brass for that.  :tiphat:


----------



## PaulSandles

I would second Bruckner 5: real cumulative power that is decidedly epic. And for something completely different, although equally overwhelming, Suk's Asrael Symphony. 

I also have a penchant for Poulenc's Organ Concerto: the last thwack on the timps after the huge organ crescendo is sublime, as indeed is the whole work!


----------



## Albert7

Definitely the shotgun ending for this work is very epic.






I would be too fearful to attend a live performance of it honestly. Ricocheting bullets are not my style .


----------



## hpowders

Nobody does the Schumann Second Symphony final coda as well as Karajan/Berlin. Totally epic!!


----------



## Templeton

The conclusion of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. Here are my two favourite performances, conducted by the late, great Carlos Kleiber and the, happily, very much still with us, Paavo Järvi.


----------



## PlaySalieri

Dvorak 7
Mahler 1, 2, 3


----------



## hpowders

Sibelius Symphony No. 7.


----------



## Albert7

Mahler's Symphonies 8 and 9 end just on a very epic note.


----------



## hpowders

Albert7 said:


> Mahler's Symphonies 8 and 9 end just on a very epic note.


Especially 8! Wish I could hear it done live somewhere.


----------



## Queen of the Nerds

Stravinsky- L'oiseau du feu
Tchaikovsky- Swan Lake, Symphony No. 6
Beethoven- Symphonies 6 and 9


----------



## padraic

hpowders said:


> Especially 8! Wish I could hear it done live somewhere.


This will be performed in Philadelphia next spring - I'm planning on attending


----------



## chalkpie

Mahler 2
Sibelius 5
Stravinsky - Firebird
Ives - Symphony No. 4 (not 'loud' epic, rather introspective and otherwordly epic  )


----------



## aeschylus

I'll throw in Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances; Shostakovich's Tenth symphony; and there's always Prokofiev's Third piano concerto played by Martha Argerich.

Hard to beat the end of Mahler 2 though.

And Strauss played backwards- I've a lot of time for that!


----------



## KirbyH

This is going to sound repetitive in spots, but my contenders would be:

Mahler 1

Capriccio Espagnol

Beethoven 5

The Pines of Rome and Roman Festivals

Polovtsian Dances, for sure.

I could go on and on, but I think I'll keep these.


----------



## iljajj

If I might add my 2 cents worth, my three nominees for most impressive concluding noise would be:

* Siegmund von Hausegger's Natursymphonie from 1911, from 54:40 onwards:






* Rued Langgaard's First Symphony, "Klippepastoraler", listen from about 1:04:51 onwards. Shows you what a (admittedly very gifted) teenager can get up to when he's given control of a Mahler-sized orchestra.






* Richard Wetz' Second Symphony; not that long, but very effective (from 41:20 onwards).


----------



## Gustav Ilych Shostakovich

Mahler's Resurrection.
Respighi's Pini di Roma.
Shostakovich's Leningrad symphony. 
Scriabin's Le Poème de l'extase.


----------



## QuietGuy

Ravel: La Valse
Stravinsky: Firebird


----------



## Marsilius

Bruckner symphony no. 5
Hans Rott symphony


----------



## Strange Magic

Respighi: Saint Gregory the Great
Saint-Saens: Organ Symphony


----------



## Ferrariman601

The endings to Mozart's 40th and 41st symphonies are just mental. The end of the 40th is the quintessence of the idiom "all hell breaking loose" and the end of the 41st is, in my opinion, Mozart shouting at the top of his lungs "I'm awesome and I know it!"


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

The ending of The Rite of Spring is overwhelmingly brutal.


----------



## Kieran

Some of 'em go on a bit, don't they? You're sitting there shifty in a hard chair, reaching below for your hat and scarf, when lo! they swing up high again. But then you weren't paying attention, were ya! Prolly applauded in between movements. 

Novice error.

I like the end of Mozart's 41st, the Jupiter. it escalates so well, I wish it were only beginning...


----------



## bz3

Mahler 1's final movement, perhaps my favorite movement of any of his first four symphonies.


----------



## Dr Johnson

From among many possible choices I would like to nominate the closing moments of Respighi's Sinfonia Drammatica. Some may find it cheesy but so what? It certainly wakes you up if you have been nodding off a bit. Sounds as though it ought to be part of the soundtrack for a D.W. Griffith's epics.

From 16.00 to the end:


----------



## Ilarion

iljajj said:


> If I might add my 2 cents worth, my three nominees for most impressive concluding noise would be:
> 
> * Siegmund von Hausegger's Natursymphonie from 1911, from 54:40 onwards:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * Rued Langgaard's First Symphony, "Klippepastoraler", listen from about 1:04:51 onwards. Shows you what a (admittedly very gifted) teenager can get up to when he's given control of a Mahler-sized orchestra.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * Richard Wetz' Second Symphony; not that long, but very effective (from 41:20 onwards).


Never heard this stuff before - Time to put on my *learning cap*.


----------



## DeepR

A new favorite for endings is Nikolai Roslavets - In the Hours of the new Moon

This symphonic poem is sort of a Poem of Ecstasy-lite, but it stands on its own. Since it's not even on youtube, I've uploaded the final minutes. Near the end it seems to get stuck in a rather generic loop, but then those magnificent radiant trumpets break through.

https://app.box.com/s/z614xgnz7bjq0mcn5xwkcuh8wjf1q0ni


----------



## nightscape

thatperson said:


> - tchaikovsky francesca da rimini


I'm not the biggest lover of Tchaikovsky, but the end of _Francesca da Rimini _is insanely epic.


----------



## Sherkel

I have yet to listen to most of the works people have posted, but I'm going to go with:
- Bruckner 8 and 5
- Mahler 4, 6, and 10
- Beethoven 5
- Symphonie Fantastique


----------



## Azol

Sherkel said:


> I have yet to listen to most of the works people have posted, but I'm going to go with:
> - Mahler 4, 6, and 10


For some strange reason, ALL of these symphonies end very quietly, slowly dissolving into silence. If you were looking for epic endings (as thread title suggests) you should go with Mahler's 2, 3 and 8.


----------



## Stavrogin

Not an actual ending of a work (it is at the end of a movement, and it is not the very ending but it is followed by a short, calm ending), but the final climax of the 1st movement of Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto is majestic.

(starts at around 10'30'' here)


----------



## helenora

Azol said:


> For some strange reason, ALL of these symphonies end very quietly, slowly dissolving into silence. If you were looking for epic endings (as thread title suggests) you should go with Mahler's 2, 3 and 8.


it depends on what we understand under "epic" : "heroic or grand in scale of character" or "a work portraying heroic deeds and adventures or covering an extended period of time - narrative". There are definitions from a dictionary, just two of them, there are others.
Depending on interpretation of what "epic" is and thinking about it in terms of being narrative and "not really loud, perhaps slowly dissolving into silence" vs just "loud with grandeur and rather with tempo" then why not Mahler's symphonies mentioned by Sherkel?


----------



## KenOC

Epic? The final part of the last movement of Shostakovich's 5th, as Petrenko does it. It starts slow, with still a full five minutes to go. This is the full Technicolor 70mm Biblical epic -- even though DSCH was an atheist. At the end, you'll stagger out the door, shaky and with great difficulty!


----------



## prometheus

Alexander Scriabin's Prometheus has one of the most spectacular endings: both musically and visually. The F# major triad that ends the piece is the only consonance in the work, and the only triad too. As the composer himself designed it, a bright white light will illuminate the hall together with the last chord, after more than 20 minutes of colored lights that would accompany the score.
Here is a performance of Prometheus with lights, from the magnificent Degollado Theatre in Mexico.


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## DeepR

prometheus said:


> Alexander Scriabin's Prometheus has one of the most spectacular endings: both musically and visually. The F# major triad that ends the piece is the only consonance in the work, and the only triad too. As the composer himself designed it, a bright white light will illuminate the hall together with the last chord, after more than 20 minutes of colored lights that would accompany the score.
> Here is a performance of Prometheus with lights, from the magnificent Degollado Theatre in Mexico.


Here's my little story about this piece. Some years ago, I was obsessed with Prometheus for months on end and I just had to go see it in concert. I went to Brussels where it was performed during a Prometheus themed evening. Brussels also happens to be the city where the work was conceived. 
About a year later, I met my current girlfriend who learned about my love for Scriabin's music (she didn't know I went to the concert). One day she surprised me with a gift: tickets to a concert in Brussels where Prometheus was performed... and so I went again to the same place to hear the same piece!


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## Sherkel

Azol said:


> For some strange reason, ALL of these symphonies end very quietly, slowly dissolving into silence. If you were looking for epic endings (as thread title suggests) you should go with Mahler's 2, 3 and 8.


The endings to those three speak to me more deeply than those of 2, 3, and 8, at least currently.


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## Azol

"The most profound" would be a more correct title in this case :tiphat:


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## dgee

Did a quick check of the thread an unbelievably the notorious tam-tam overhang at the end of Rach's symphonic dances hasn't been mentioned once! A listen to this from about 34:40 is recommended






That's a big tam-tam

Sinfonia Domestica has a banging ending too, for big orchestra stuff. And consideration should also be given to the end of the first act of Tosca for the sheer sonority of it


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## Dawood

Tapkaara said:


> The ending to Sibelius 2 is fairly epic...


This.

The ending of Sibelius' 2nd is so big - it swells and builds and you're pulled further and further in. I saw a live performance a few years ago and it was hypnotic.

Personally I'm not aware of anything more 'epic' in the music field.


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## Alfacharger

Roy Harris' 6th Symphony's final movement "Affirmation" has a big bang ending.


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## dzc4627

Stravinsky- Scenes de Ballet


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## Classical Music Fan

I'd have to go with
Mahler 1,2,8
Beethoven 3,5,7,9
Mozart Jupiter
Brahms 1,2,4 and Academic
Tchaikovsky 4,5
Schubert's Great
Schumann 4
Elgar Enigma


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## afterpostjack

dgee said:


> Did a quick check of the thread an unbelievably the notorious tam-tam overhang at the end of Rach's symphonic dances hasn't been mentioned once! A listen to this from about 34:40 is recommended
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That's a big tam-tam
> 
> *Sinfonia Domestica *has a banging ending too, for big orchestra stuff. And consideration should also be given to the end of the first act of Tosca for the sheer sonority of it


This. Sinfonia Domestica, conducted either by Karajan or the composer himself, has quite a finale. Not many orchestras have what it takes to render some of the brass parts there satisfactorily. Another work by Strauss, whose finale I am quite fond of, is the Festive Prelude. Here, it seems as if Strauss himself understands the work best.

Mahler is the composer of many a great finale. Some of his best ones, however, belong to inner movements of his symphonies. The third symphony: the first, third and final movements. The finale of the fifth is great although I don't really like the "joke" right before the final few bars (which feels a bit awkward to me). The first movement of his seventh has a lovely coda, although it is not the most fustian of his; the finale of the same symphony certainly is among his most epic writing The finale of the first movement of the 8th is a great display of his ability to write larger-than-life music. The actual finale of this symphony feels very similar to the one of the second symphony.

The symphonies of Bruckner are, likewise, endowed with some great finales. All of his symphonies have movements with spectacular endings. Some of his best codas are exhibited in the first movement of his symphonies. Some of my favorites are the finale of the first movement of his third, sixth, seventh and ninth symphonies.

I should also mention Stenka Razin by Glazunov, which has a great finale.


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## Pugg

*Mahler 2
Mahler 3
Mahler 8 *
:tiphat:


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## TxllxT

No one can overdo this:






18 trumpets + a Russian organ going crazy


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## Tristan

The ending of Shostakovich's 7th is almost _too _epic...hard-pressed to find one more so than that.

Obviously the Mahler's symphonies (1st, 2nd, 7th, and 8th) are all up there.


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## thorne

I don't know if it qualifies as "epic," or just as mind-blowing, but since nobody else has mentioned it: Messiaen: Turangalila Symphonie.


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## DeepR

This version of Scriabin's first conducted by Leif Segerstam sure ends with a bang, choral finale starts at 43:29


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## Agricola

Although not as epic as many mentioned, the ending of Debussy La Mer is pretty good, but finding a good performance of it which does it justice is hard to find and last couple of live performances have gone that way as well. Many conductors seem to interpret it the ending as a blustery afternoon, not a force 10 gale storm, evidence in ignoring FFF in the score with every instrument going out blazing.


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## KirbyH

Here are a couple that I've not seen mentioned here - Korngold's Sursum Corda and Symphony in F#. Strong, beautiful works that have just the right amount of theatricality to them, especially Sursum Corda - talk about some densely loud writing in those last few pages.


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## Sherkel

What exactly do we consider the "ending" to a work here? Is it the final few minutes? Seconds? For me, those brief spans of time lose almost all their meaning when taken on their own within a large-scale orchestral piece. Personally, for symphonic works, I consider the final movement the "ending".


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## corndogshuffle

Epic is so hard to define, but for me I've never been so moved as I was when I finished playing Rite of Spring. I didn't have a religious experience like I do with Mahler so much as I wanted to get a chainsaw and destroy some stuff. It was thrilling.


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## LHB

Schoenberg Survivor from Warsaw.


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## PavolBrezina

ScipioAfricanus said:


> Bruckner's Symphony no 8.


I will second that


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

KenOC said:


> Epic? The final part of the last movement of Shostakovich's 5th


The ending of his 10th takes some beating too - the frantic closing bars with the tuned timpani whacking out Shostakovich's "D-S-C-H" motto is utterly exhilarating. The ending of Shosty's 7th is quite a humdinger as well.

Elsewhere in the symphonic forest, the "Alles vergängliche" peroration at the end of Mahler's 8th is magnificent, as are the endings of most of Bruckner's symphonies (and the endings of many movements _within_ those symphonies). At the other end of the scale, I have a soft spot for the ending of Haydn's symphony #88, which I guess was "epic" enough in its day 

In terms of non-symphonic repertoire, you'd be hard-pushed to find a more epic ending than that of Britten's _Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra_, with Britten's "modern" fugue surmounted by Purcell's majestic theme right at the end. As actor (and former Britten soprano) David Hemmings enthusiastically described it in a BBC documentary: "That's the champagne moment! F**** great!"


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

A few weeks ago I listened to Mussorgksy/ Ravel pictures at an exhibition from beginning to end. The Great Gates of Kiev came across incredibly well......definitely the word 'epic' comes to mind, like some harsh but fantastic journey. It isn't just triumphant major-ey harmonies, you also have the sort of modal, peasant-sounding woodwind parts and this one sort of malevolent part that sounds like the repetitive harmonies from the Coronation Scene of Boris Godunov. Really good ending.


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## dsphipps100

Don't forget Schoenberg's _Gurrelieder_. It calls for five solo voices, three 4-part male choirs, one 8-part mixed choir, sextuplet woodwinds, 24 brass players, four harps, strings with violins divided into 10 parts, violas and cellos divided into 8 parts each, with every single one of them going fortissimo at the end. (The Ozawa-Boston recording is one that I'm aware of that uses every single personnel that Schoenberg requested.)


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## Chordalrock

Nobody's mentioned Tristan und Isolde, Act II.


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## Kjetil Heggelund

I love the ending of Shostakovich no. 5, especially Mariss Jansons version...


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## dsphipps100

Shostakovich's 7th ("Leningrad") has the most "epic" ending that I've heard out of all his symphonies, especially on the unbelievably powerful Bernstein-Chicago recording. His 5th, 10th, 11th, and 12th symphonies also have really powerful endings, but they don't quite have the long sustained fortissimo that the 7th blasts forth, especially from the brass.


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## techniquest

> I love the ending of Shostakovich no. 5, especially Mariss Jansons version...


You must hear the Petrenko version on Naxos - he takes it very slow and the effect is uber-epic!



> Shostakovich's 7th ("Leningrad") has the most "epic" ending that I've heard out of all his symphonies, especially on the unbelievably powerful Bernstein-Chicago recording. His 5th, 10th, 11th, and 12th symphonies also have really powerful endings, but they don't quite have the long sustained fortissimo that the 7th blasts forth, especially from the brass.


Yes, quite. Also, at the very end (the final sustained chord), the timpani are reinforced by tremendous thuds on the bass drum


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## Medtnaculus

Schmitt's Symphonie Concertante has insanely epic endings to the first and third movements. For example go to the 11:11 mark in the video. Just superb.

If you skip ahead (or preferably listen through to) the 37:11 mark, you'll get to hear perhaps what is (in my opinion) one of the best endings to any concerto/orchestral work out there. I just love the rhythmic ostinatos which keep keep appearing throughout.


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## violadude

KenOC said:


> Epic? The final part of the last movement of Shostakovich's 5th, as Petrenko does it. It starts slow, with still a full five minutes to go. This is the full Technicolor 70mm Biblical epic -- even though DSCH was an atheist. At the end, you'll stagger out the door, shaky and with great difficulty!


Epic? ug, more like super boring and overblown. All those As...over and over again. Iono, maybe people would feel differently if they had to play a string instrument in the orchestra during that section. I'll take the end of the 10th or something over the end of the 5th (dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada...ad nauseam) any day.


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## KenOC

violadude said:


> Epic? ug, more like super boring and overblown. All those As...over and over again. Iono, maybe people would feel differently if they had to play a string instrument in the orchestra during that section. I'll take the end of the 10th or something over the end of the 5th (dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada...ad nauseam) any day.


Ah come on...don't those big drums at the very end do _anything _for you? But I'm one of those who feels the coda to the finale of Beethoven's 5th is too short... :lol:


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## HaydnBearstheClock

Somehow, the end of Haydn's Symphony 52 comes to mind. It's harsh, effective and to the point.


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## Tristan

Maybe I already mentioned it, but I don't have time to search for my previous response. One of the most epic endings I can think of is that of Walton's *Belshazzar's Feast*. I don't think I've ever heard an audience that didn't pretty much jump out of their seats to applaud it. It's really almost an overblown ending, but I think it stands out in its "epicness".


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## DeepR

I think the choral finale of Mendelssohn Symphony No. 2 deserves a mention. Starts at 1:07:52


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## Aldarion

Mahler 1, 2, 3 & 8
Elgar 1 & 2
Shostakovich 7, 10 & 11
Sibelius 2, 3 & 7
Bruckner 5 & 8
Brahms 1, 2 & 4
Schumann 2
Saint-Saëns 3
Debussy La mer
Ravel Daphnis et Chloé
Langgaard 1
Janáček Sinfonietta & Taras Bulba
Korngold Sinfonietta
Stravinsky L'oiseau de feu
Scriabin Le Poème de l'extase
Respighi Pini di Roma & Feste Romane


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## njk345

As others have been suggesting, shostakovich's 7th has the potential (depending on the conductor - look to bernstein with the cso for the most powerful version) to be quite literally the loudest thing ever written - no if's, and's, or but's. Like, honest to god, the 1812 overture, Wagner, mahler, etc have nothing on shosty here. It's got 6 trumpets and 6 trombones blasting their hearts out, a tuba, 8 freaking french horns, a massive percussion section (with some serious timpani at the end). After quite a bit of storminess theoughout the symphony, the finale starts off small with about 5 minutes left. And then my lord does it build- and build- and build, until it's reached full force, the strings and woodwinds hardly being able to play any louder...... AND THEN COMES THE TROMBONES (it's flipping glorious, until you realize you have hearing loss).


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## dsphipps100

Just so you know, the Bernstein-Chicago recording of Shostakovich 7 used a double-brass section. If you listen closely, you can definitely tell where the doublers makes their entries, at 16:57 in the 1st movement, where the development section begins, and then in the last movement, at 17:07, for the closing pages.

There are a few testimonies around the internet here and there from people who attended the concerts this recording is drawn from, and they report that a double-brass section was used, including one person who reviewed the recording on Amazon, just for one example.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1QUDJKLX14KTI

(Mind you, this is certainly not to take anything away from that excellence of that recording. As far as I'm concerned, there's the Bernstein-Chicago recording of Shostakovich 7, and then there's all the others piled underneath it.)


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## Tristan

One I just thought of: Das Rheingold by Wagner. Listened to this opera over the weekend. Man is that ending sublime. It has to be one of the most triumphant-sounding passages I know. Despite the kind of unresolved harrowing nature of the story at the end, the music itself is euphoric. It makes me feel good about everything. lol


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## Bayreuth

The Wagnerian ending of Rachmaninov's Symphony no.1


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## techniquest

njk345 said:


> As others have been suggesting, shostakovich's 7th has the potential (depending on the conductor - look to bernstein with the cso for the most powerful version) to be quite literally the loudest thing ever written - no if's, and's, or but's. Like, honest to god, the 1812 overture, Wagner, mahler, etc have nothing on shosty here. It's got 6 trumpets and 6 trombones blasting their hearts out, a tuba, 8 freaking french horns, a massive percussion section *(with some serious timpani at the end)*. After quite a bit of storminess theoughout the symphony, the finale starts off small with about 5 minutes left. And then my lord does it build- and build- and build, until it's reached full force, the strings and woodwinds hardly being able to play any louder...... AND THEN COMES THE TROMBONES (it's flipping glorious, until you realize you have hearing loss).


The timpani are augmented by fortissimo bass drum in those final 14 thuds


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## R3PL4Y

Dvorak 7 as well


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## Rhinotop

The most epic ending
Respighi: Vetrate di Chiesa - IV. San Gregorio Magno
Absolutely ecstatic, powerful, magnificent, glittering!!


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## Rhinotop

Another epic, crazy and loud ending

Jongen: Symphonie concertante - IV. Toccata


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## Pugg

Mahler 8, 2 & 3, in that order


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## Xenakiboy

I'm surprised I haven't seen any mentions (through what I've read) of the famous Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. Come on, that ending is so tense but rewarding!


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## DeepR

Ok my final decision 






"The vastness of space, the flight of photons, billions of billions of galaxies: its all there in one final explosion of sound.﻿"


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

Xenakiboy said:


> I'm surprised I haven't seen any mentions (through what I've read) of the famous Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. Come on, that ending is so tense but rewarding!


I was thinking of the Rite of Spring too but it didn't quite strike me as epic. Magnificent, tense and supremely satisfying yes but not quite epic, at least not according to my vision of epic.


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## Davila

Shostakovich 7 and 5
Stravinsky's The Firebird


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## Fletcher

I agree with most of the suggestions - especially when it comes to Mahler, Bruckner, Sebelius.

*Beethoven 5* deserves a special mention because of the however many overkill C major chords in the Finale, overcoming the C minor darkness of the previous three movs.

also glad to see the multiple suggestions of *Scriabin's Symphony No. 4* _Le Poème de l'Extase_. I was overwhelmed by the noise that piece can get out of an orchestra when playing for a performance of it a few years back..


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## Vaneyes

*Mahler *and *Tchaikovsky* are my two favorite closers.


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## SmokeyBarnable

celibidache recording of bruckner 4 coda.

Bruckner 5 coda


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## MusicSybarite

I'm a big fan of epic endings. I have in my mind these ones:

Respighi _Vetrate di Chiesa_ - The *MOST EPIC* ending ever. Period.

Walton _Symphony No. 1_ - Both endings of 1st and 4th movements are *UPLIFTING*, and the timpani play an important rol helping to create tension, drama and apotheosis.

Sibelius _The Wood Nymph_ - Maybe it's not properly epic but it's so powerful.

Nielsen _Symphony No. 5_ - The indescribable power that was deployed throughout the work is solved in a simply heroic coda. GRANDIOSE!

Janácek _Sinfonietta_ - The ending reaches a tremendous spark in the orchestra, reaching moments higher and higher.

Prokofiev _Cantata for the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution_, _Alexander Nevsky_, _Zdravitsa!_, _Scythian Suite_: Prokofiev was a master in terms of brilliant orchestration. These ones are unforgettable examples of bombastic apex.

Bridge _Enter Spring_ - This is just gorgeous. The nature splendour arrives with the life-affirming pomp including bells.

Casella _Symphony No. 2_ - Brutal madness with organ included.

Langgaard _Symphony No. 6_ - The epic battle between good and evil reaches a long moment of great power.


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## hpowders

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 2, coda of fourth movement; Herbert von Karajan directing the Berlin Philharmonic.

The final few minutes of Sibelius Symphony 7. Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.


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## DeepR

It was mentioned before: the last movement of Von Hausegger's Nature Symphony... now that's epic!
I'd love to hear it live, but I suppose it will never be performed anywhere.


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## lehnert

The most obvious ones:
Mahler - Symphony no. 2
Mahler - Symphony no. 8
Beethoven - Symphony no. 9
Beethoven - Symphony no. 5
Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture

A little less obvious ones:
Dvorak - Symphony no. 8
Schoenberg - Gurre-Lieder
Saint-Saens - Symphony no. 3
Mahler - Symphony no. 1
Respighi - Pines of Rome
Shostakovich - Symphony no. 5
Sibelius - Symphony no. 5


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## Harrowby Hall

alan sheffield said:


> Walton 1st Symphony - A blazing end to one of the greatest symphonies ever written


This would certainly count as an "epic ending".

Many years ago (c. 1970) I attended a Prom performance of Walton 1 (the LSO under Andre Previn). Just as the triumphal final couple of minutes were beginning, a tremendous storm erupted over London. Not only was there a thunderous climax being played in the hall, but it was being augmented by real thunder outside. Very heavy rain could be heard falling on the Albert Hall roof.

Art was matched by nature.

When we left the hall, we found that the streets were under water - the quantity of rain had been too much for the drains


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## David C Coleman

Beethoven 5
Beethoven 9
Schubert 9
Schumann 2
Bruckner 5
Bruckner 8
Mahler 2,3, 8
Sibelius 2, 5


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## mbhaub

Forgive me if this has been mentioned, but I don't have time to go back and read all posts. But for me, the most thrilling, cathartic epic ending of any symphony is the one by *Ernest Bloch *in his *Symphony in C-sharp minor*. The whole symphony is a deeply felt, uplifting, inspiring score and deserves to be better know. But in the finale, when he brings back that huge choral theme from the 2nd movement it's just awe inspiring. There are to my knowledge three recordings, but the one on Bis seems to get everything, including spectacular recorded sound, exactly right.


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## DSCHLargo

Shostakovich Cello Concerto 1 (does that count?)

Ravel Bolero


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## MusicSybarite

DSCHLargo said:


> Shostakovich Cello Concerto 1 (does that count?)


Really? I don't think so.


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## Pat Fairlea

How about the ending of Honegger's Pacific 231?


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## jegreenwood

My first CD player came with a Philips sampler disc. The last track was "The Great Gate Kiev." I must admit I can't remember the orchestra or conductor. (Concertgebouw maybe?) Whoever it was, the track blew me away.


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## Bill Cooke

So many to choose from, but the two that spring to mind are:

1) Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini. Every conductor does something a little different with the plunge-into-hell finale. Stokowski hit it out of the park, as did Bernstein with the Israel Philharmonic. 

2) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 - such a powerful and ominous finale. The clanging bells are an important element. If they're wimpy, the ending is ruined for me. My favorite interpreters are Bychkov, Stokowski and Rostropovich.


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## kyjo

Some less obvious candidates:

Arnold - Symphony no. 5: One of the most shocking, devastating conclusions in the repertoire. The Mahlerian 'big tune' from the slow movement is reprised in grand, 'Hollywoodesque' fashion, only to be shattered by a stroke on the tubular bells, after which the music fades into an abyssal darkness. It's utter genius. I've seen this symphony described as a "brilliantly successful study in aspiration and failure" and I completely agree, especially with regards to the ending.

Braga Santos - Symphony no. 4: An unforgettable, broad, hymn-like theme which begins in the low strings and brass gradually expands into a full-throated hymn of joy from the entire orchestra. Some may find it 'banal' or 'cliche' but I find it utterly stirring.

Atterberg - Symphony no. 3 'West Coast Pictures': A dizzying, ecstatic depiction of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).

Bax - Symphony no. 3: The Epilogue of this work is certainly one of the greatest things Bax ever wrote. Its steady tread, guided by a soaring solo violin, leads off into a golden sunset glow.

Honegger - Symphony no. 3 'Liturgique': The tranquil ending of this otherwise dark, anguished symphony is so deeply moving and humane. Peace has finally been achieved.

Hanson - Symphonies nos. 2 and 3: Two marvelously uplifting and good old-fashioned grandiose endings.

Schnittke - Cello Concerto no. 1: After over half an hour of grueling dissonance and violence, the sun finally begins to break through the clouds and the radiance of tonality emerges as the protagonist/soloist ascends ever further towards the light. I described that really poorly; you just need to hear it for yourself!

Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no. 1: This ending isn't deep or emotional or anything; just plain good noisy fun. The remarkably active glockenspiel part is what really makes it!


----------



## techniquest

> 2) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 - such a powerful and ominous finale. The clanging bells are an important element. If they're wimpy, the ending is ruined for me. My favorite interpreters are Bychkov, Stokowski and Rostropovich.


Have a listen to the recording by Oleg Caetani on ARTS - it may be completely over-the-top, but there's no way anyone could say that the bells are wimpy! It's on Spotify, but I can't find it on Youtube.

Meanwhile, despite everything that's been posted here over the years, I still say that to me the most epic ending is that of David Maslanka's 4th symphony. It has an ending full of grandiose chords, organ, cymbals, timps, tam-tams, bells and it just goes on and on! Play it loud and blow your ears off!


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## techniquest

> 2) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 - such a powerful and ominous finale. The clanging bells are an important element. If they're wimpy, the ending is ruined for me. My favorite interpreters are Bychkov, Stokowski and Rostropovich.


Have a listen to the recording by Oleg Caetani on ARTS - it may be completely over-the-top, but there's no way anyone could say that the bells are wimpy! It's on Spotify, but I can't find it on Youtube.

Meanwhile, despite everything that's been posted here over the years, I still say that to me the most epic ending is that of David Maslanka's 4th symphony. It has an ending full of grandiose chords, organ, cymbals, timps, tam-tams, bells and it just goes on and on! Play it loud and blow your ears off!


----------



## leonsm

kyjo said:


> Schnittke - Cello Concerto no. 1: After over half an hour of grueling dissonance and violence, the sun finally begins to break through the clouds and the radiance of tonality emerges as the protagonist/soloist ascends ever further towards the light. I described that really poorly; you just need to hear it for yourself!


This is a piece with a outstanding finale, indeed.


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## leonsm

What an amazing finale Atterberg's Symphony no. 3 has. Wow


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## brucknerian

Personally, I can't seem to beat Celibidache's 1992 performance with Munich.


----------



## DeepR

I probably posted them before but it's either






or


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## Pugg

DeepR said:


> I probably posted them before but it's either


Live in Rotterdam on March 23th and 25th, stiff sold out I might add, Yannick Nézet-Séguin saying goodbye to Rotterdam.


----------



## DeepR

Hmm, a missed opportunity for sure. It's on my wishlist, although I wasn't actively looking for it.


----------



## Pugg

DeepR said:


> Hmm, a missed opportunity for sure. It's on my wish list, although I wasn't actively looking for it.


2020 another change, Mahler year in Amsterdam, all great orchestra's and conductors. 
Mind you the organ sound in Amsterdam is about 50 times better then the Doelen, I am shivering how that will sound on Friday .


----------



## Beet131

I agree with so many here who have offered the finale of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 as truly epic. Except for perhaps the last movement of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Sibelius' No. 2 has put me into spasms of ecstasy more than perhaps any other. The majesty of the organ in Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3 also places it right up there with the best of them. Gustav Holst's "Jupiter" from "The Planets" is both heroic and epic.


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## Pugg

DeepR said:


> Hmm, a missed opportunity for sure. It's on my wishlist, although I wasn't actively looking for it.



This was it in real. :angel:


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## Barelytenor

Pugg said:


> Live in Rotterdam on March 23th and 25th, stiff sold out I might add, Yannick Nézet-Séguin saying goodbye to Rotterdam.


I have the old CD with Deborah Voigt (1991, way pre-little-black-dress era) et al., Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and about a gazillion other people. Voigt's voice sailed effortlessly over the biggest sounds every one else could make, with no forcing. It was one of the most stunning and glamorous voices I had (have) ever heard, and the very first time I had ever heard her sing. What a treat it was. And is.

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## helenora

Pugg said:


> Live in Rotterdam on March 23th and 25th, stiff sold out I might add, Yannick Nézet-Séguin saying goodbye to Rotterdam.


Tremendous! With all my love to Bruckner, Finale of Mahler's 8th symphony is Divine!


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## Barelytenor

*Jón Leifs: Hekla*

I went back through this thread for a dozen or so pages and could find no mention of it, so: I would posit that Jón Leif's _Hekla_ is _among the most epic_ endings (sorry to weenie out; I think it's the most epic but I so hesitate to impose subjective judgments on others). Of course, it might be considered cheating just a bit in the interests of epicness (epicity? epicnessosity?) when one employs not only a traditional symphony orchestra but one augmented by (Amazon) "a 22-person percussion section, four sets of rocks hit with hammers, two heavy metal chains, anvils, steel plates, sirens, and several dozen cannon shots" to achieve one's artistic ends.

So, ladies and germs, benvenuti a the eruption of _Hekla,_ a volcano in Iceland:






Now ... where do I claim my winnings?

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


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## MusicSybarite

Barelytenor said:


> I went back through this thread for a dozen or so pages and could find no mention of it, so: I would posit that Jón Leif's _Hekla_ is _among the most epic_ endings (sorry to weenie out; I think it's the most epic but I so hesitate to impose subjective judgments on others). Of course, it might be considered cheating just a bit in the interests of epicness (epicity? epicnessosity?) when one employs not only a traditional symphony orchestra but one augmented by (Amazon) "a 22-person percussion section, four sets of rocks hit with hammers, two heavy metal chains, anvils, steel plates, sirens, and several dozen cannon shots" to achieve one's artistic ends.
> 
> So, ladies and germs, benvenuti a the eruption of _Hekla,_ a volcano in Iceland:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now ... where do I claim my winnings?
> 
> Kind regards, :tiphat:
> 
> George


It's a fantastic piece indeed. Not apt for allergic to loud crashes


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## techniquest

> So, ladies and germs, benvenuti a the eruption of Hekla, a volcano in Iceland:


I'd suggest that the whole work is 'epic' rather than the ending itself, which is rather abrupt. Your winnings might be put on hold...


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## hpowders

A tie between the Sibelius Symphony 7 and Schumann Symphony 2.


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## MusicSybarite

The ending from Casella's 2nd symphony is imposing, utterly thrilling (including bells and an organ). An ecstatic ending for such a stormy work.


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## kyjo

MusicSybarite said:


> The ending from Casella's 2nd symphony is imposing, utterly thrilling (including bells and an organ). An ecstatic ending for such a stormy work.


Indeed - the whole symphony is thrilling! My favorite overall movement is actually the second, with its relentless energy (it sounds more Russian than Italian).


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## Mecc

Maybe Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major ('Land of Hope and Glory').


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## Crawford Glissadevil

I'm new. What is the difference between an Orchestral work and a symphony?


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## Bill Cooke

Crawford Glissadevil said:


> I'm new. What is the difference between an Orchestral work and a symphony?


All symphonies are orchestral works, but not all orchestral works are symphonies, if that makes sense. Orchestral works also include concertos, tone poems, overtures, suites, etc.


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## Crawford Glissadevil

Bill Cooke said:


> All symphonies are orchestral works, but not all orchestral works are symphonies, if that makes sense. Orchestral works also include concertos, tone poems, overtures, suites, etc.


I didn't mean to highjack the thread. I adore Rite of Spring's Epic ending.

Unless I'm mistaken, this site counts Stravinsky's_ Rite of Spring_ as an Orchestral Work but not a Symphony. I know Rite of Spring is a ballet, yet I was under the apparent misconception that Rite of Spring was a Symphony too.

So, if a Symphony is attached to a ballet is it categorized as an orchestral work and NOT a Symphony?


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## CnC Bartok

I suspect you are muddling up a Symphony (a musical composition) and a Symphony (a group of musicians, to which we usually append "Orchestra" on the other side of the Atlantic!)

What actually makes an orchestral piece a "Symphony" has fuzzy borders, but basically, if a composer calls it one, it is one! Traditionally a Symphony is written in four separate movements, composed in sonata form. In the more modern era, there are probably more exceptions than conformists!! There are usually thematic links between the movements, thematic development, a shared basic key, and a relatively strict form, so composing a Symphony requires real discipline and nous, so it has gradually become the pinnacle of many a composer's output and musical ambition.

Your mate Stravinsky wrote four works he describes as a Symphony, one in C, one In Three Movements, the supreme Symphony of Psalms, and the early one in E flat. There's also the "Symphonies of Wind Instruments", where the meaning is deliberately different, and shouldn't count. These are very fine, inventive, exciting pieces, but they are episodic (and probably balletic) in nature, and do not "grow organically", so are not really the best examples of what a model symphony is! For that, you should look back to Haydn.

I hope this is helpful, it's intended as such, please note though it comes from somebody who is purely an amateur!


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## DeepR

I know it's not the end of the symphony but the coda of Bruckner - Symphony No. 9 - Movement 1 deserves credit. And only a few conductors perform it to my liking, Wand in the first place. This recording absolutely nails it, starting at 25:45 https://app.box.com/s/7tur59c5imeknmr5xfdyqq7nwqexeinf


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## Fredx2098

Crawford Glissadevil said:


> I'm new. What is the difference between an Orchestral work and a symphony?


I'm pretty sure a symphony is an orchestral work in multiple "movements" (unlike a tone poem which is usually one movement), as opposed to "acts" like a ballet or opera. It's also usually instrumental and features the orchestra rather than stage performers like an opera or ballet, and doesn't feature any soloists like a concerto, which seems to be essentially a symphony with soloists. I would call The Rite of Spring, The Firebird, and Petruska either ballets or perhaps tone poems, depending on the presence of dancers. Probably best to call them ballets if that's what the man wanted them to be. I definitely wouldn't call them symphonies, because a symphony seems to be a more formal type of composition.


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## leonsm

The final of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky Cantata is something to remember (it has a incredible use of the xylophone).


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## kyjo

leonsm said:


> The final of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky Cantata is something to remember (it has a incredible use of the xylophone).


Indeed! The original ending of his Symphony no. 7 also features great use of the tuned percussion, but in a much gentler, almost visionary way. (The revised ending - written to please the authorities - couldn't be more different; it's comically abrupt with a downward piano glissando!) Also, there's the thrilling ending of his Piano Concerto no. 1 with its incessant glockenspiel! Prokofiev certainly had a talent for great endings.


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## Oortone

dsphipps100 said:


> Shostakovich's 7th ("Leningrad") has the most "epic" ending that I've heard out of all his symphonies, especially on the unbelievably powerful Bernstein-Chicago recording. His 5th, 10th, 11th, and 12th symphonies also have really powerful endings, but they don't quite have the long sustained fortissimo that the 7th blasts forth, especially from the brass.


Hearing the ending of "Leningrad" with a live orchestra is always a physical sensation. It's absolutely tremendous, it's such a force and I don't belive it only has to do with the loud sound but also the way Shostakovich works with repetition (ostinato) in numerous way to build a climax. I also like the fact that while it's extremely triumphant and bright there's stilla an unsettled feeling present in the final bars. Absolutely mazing ending.

On the other hand, the ending of Shostakovich fourth, which is quite the opposite fading out in pianissimo with the mysterious celesta figure, is also exceptional.


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## Enthusiast

What could be more "epic" that the ending of Sibelius 5? It leaves you with the feeling that it hasn't ended at all and that the heavenly music is continuing somewhere and always will be.


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## PlaySalieri

Sibelius 5
Sibelius 2
Shost 5
Dvorak 7, 9
Mahler 1, 2, 5
Elgar 1
RVW 9

Many of you guys know more romantic/20thC works than me so my list is limited.

Mozart did not really do epic endings, not his fault - the era. Still as far as the classical era goes I suppose K551 has an epic conclusion. Many of the piano concertos finish with an impressive flourish k466, k453, k503 and more.


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## PlaySalieri

Enthusiast said:


> What could be more "epic" that the ending of Sibelius 5? It leaves you with the feeling that it hasn't ended at all and that the heavenly music is continuing somewhere and always will be.


Yes that one is epic - and those closing chords - so unexpected.


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## flamencosketches

stomanek said:


> Yes that one is epic - and those closing chords - so unexpected.


Agreed! (Sibelius 5, as the embedded quote got cut out)

Another huge (if obvious) ending is Mahler's 2nd. That whole movement is gorgeous, but the last 10 minutes or so is something else. Mahler is generally pretty good at ending his symphonies, even if he doesn't always end on an "epic" note (the end of 4 is pretty down to earth, despite the subject matter of the lyrics).


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## DeepR

Enthusiast said:


> What could be more "epic" that the ending of Sibelius 5?


Bruckner 5, by far.


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## hoodjem

World Violist said:


> On the subject of Bruckner (and I absolutely agree with the 8th being on here, which almost embodies epicness for many people), I think the 4th can also be epic in the right hands (and by that I really mean Celibidache...).


Here's a second endorsement for Celibidache's Bruckner.


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## starthrower

The Firebird. Especially watching Stravinsky conduct it as an old man.


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## bassClef

Mahler's Resurrection


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## Zama

bassClef said:


> Mahler's Resurrection


You can touch the sky with Mahler 2nd.


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## Roger Knox

CnC Bartok said:


> I suspect you are muddling up a Symphony (a musical composition) and a Symphony (a group of musicians, to which we usually append "Orchestra" on the other side of the Atlantic!)
> 
> What actually makes an orchestral piece a "Symphony" has fuzzy borders, but basically, if a composer calls it one, it is one! Traditionally a Symphony is written in four separate movements, composed in sonata form. In the more modern era, there are probably more exceptions than conformists!! There are usually thematic links between the movements, thematic development, a shared basic key, and a relatively strict form, so composing a Symphony requires real discipline and nous, so it has gradually become the pinnacle of many a composer's output and musical ambition.
> 
> Your mate Stravinsky wrote four works he describes as a Symphony, one in C, one In Three Movements, the supreme Symphony of Psalms, and the early one in E flat. There's also the "Symphonies of Wind Instruments", where the meaning is deliberately different, and shouldn't count. These are very fine, inventive, exciting pieces, but they are episodic (and probably balletic) in nature, and do not "grow organically", so are not really the best examples of what a model symphony is! For that, you should look back to Haydn.
> 
> I hope this is helpful, it's intended as such, please note though it comes from somebody who is purely an amateur!


Crawford Glissadevil's question was a good one! In addition to CnC Bartok's fine explanation, I would add that _ballet professionals_ differentiate between a *ballet*, which has choreography (however completely or incompletely preserved) and music (usually), and a *ballet score*, which is the composer's orchestral work alone. In my experience Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_ is danced as a *ballet* with choreography. Or, it is played as a *ballet score* (concert hall or recording, possibly with cuts). _Musicians and audiences_ casually will call this a ballet too.

In other cases including Stravinsky's first two ballets, the composer arranged *suites* from the ballets. There exist the _Firebird Suite_, and three different _Petrouchka Suites_. A conductor may choose for performance a *suite from the ballet*, or the composer's *ballet score* for concert performance or recording.

Further, there may be later *versions* or any of the above. Stravinsky produced new versions of some of his works to collect royalties on them after leaving Russia.


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