Interesting list and to each his own as music is completely subjective...But for someone so enthralled by the majestic endings of Bruckner, it beats the heck out of me why you didnt include his most epic ending of all- that of the 8th symphony?
Ahahah, yes that's a comment I've often received down here. But for some reason the 8th's finale doesn't convince me as much as the other Bruckner's finali do, that's just my preference. I definitely love it, it's glorious and bright, but I find it too celebrative and with not much going on to be honest - probably the 4th movement of the 8th is the perfect example of what many musicologists refer to as the "Bruckner finale problem", which for me shows quite well in the 3rd, the 4th and here in the 8th. But this is just my preference, and surely doesn't take anything away from Bruckner's genius.
@@andreduarte9746 Franckly for the few Mahler symphonies i have listened to yes 2nd symphony's ending is propably the most epic finale i have ever listened to yet
To me, the Bruckner 9th is perfect in 3 movements. Like " Art of the Fugue" ending mid-phrase. The slowing tempo, the clock marking the hour, the final sound of the horn disappearing into space. It was meant to end this way.
@@decibellic Presumably then it was a reconstructed 4th movement we were hearing. I know the other 3 but not that. Sounds like they did a good job even if not the real article.
@@alanrobertson9790 Yes, it was reconstructed but probably less than what everyone would think. Simon Rattle is one of the most renowed musicians that advocate for the fact that most of the 4th movement of the 9th was already sketched out if not written down. The major issue for me is not, as everyone else think, that this reconstructed movement is not genuinely from Bruckner himself, but that even if Bruckner had written a complete version of the last movement, he later would've spent more months in re-adjusting it or changing few passages, if not whole sections as he did for the Scherzo.
@@decibellic In the meantime I've become very familiar with this movement. I understand that 18 out of 24 mins were written by Bruckner so that its only the coda at the end that needed writing anew. To anyone familiar with his other symphonies it sounds exactly like Bruckner. Some people are anti this movement but for me its exactly what is needed. The 3 movements of the 9th made for a super depressing symphony but adding this 4th movement makes the overall symphony uplifting and to my mind far more satisfactory. (However as art is essentially subjective I'm happy if someone asserts the exact opposite).
I got to number 2, and I said to myself 1 has to be Bruckner 8th. Controversial to pick the 9th since he didnt complete it. The coda of the 8th is sublime. I would have also included Mahler 2, and may Shostakovich 5
I agree with you completely. The coda of the third movement of 8 is also transcendent. The only problem with AB’s endings is that I never want the piece to end in the first place.
As much as I love this list, Mahler 6 definitely deserves a place on this list. The hero being ultimately knocked down at the end and tragedy triumphing is such a profound ending. The final minor passage has a brief shift to major tonality for a brief final death throe in the struggle for hope but it is all crushed with a powerful tutti A minor chord and ends with a pizzicato.
I dont know why but i never liked the coda, i loved the counterpoint that proceeds it but the harmonies in the coda are boring imo, it always reminds me of plain chant. Maybe its because the themes arent cadential and are rather scalar and diatonic.
Great List! As always, some great pieces are left on the cutting room floor. I love the endings of Copland No. 3, Mahler No. 2, Tchaikovsky No. 5, Franck's in D Minor, Bruckner No. 8, Sibelius No.2 and Rachmoninoff No.2. I wonder how your list would look with a one entry per composer rule?
Very strange list for someone who is so Bruckner oriented, not to include his magnificent 8th somewhere near the top or the two greatest endings in classical music, the Mahler 2nd and the Shostakovich 7th. But you are entitled to your opinion and these are wonderful pieces.
The Bruckner 9 finale/coda is not by Bruckner who left only rough sketches for the 4th movement, tentatively suggesting his Te Deum as the finale. That has not stopped various composers (Carrigan etc.) from trying their hand at being Bruckner, whose final thoughts we will never know. Of the finales he did write, the coda to the 8th is undoubtedly the greatest, combining as it does all the major themes of the preceding movements into a glorious apotheosis.
Mahlers 9th is an epically emotional ride from beginning to end, but the last 5 minutes are heart stopping. My all time favorite. HOWEVER....for sheer symphonic power, you can’t beat the coda of his 8th. Adding full organ, (but you need a GOOD ONE...and off stage brass is the game changer.
Congratulations! Nice selection, and with several from Bruckner, master of the heaven - storming coda. And I had a huge smile when you picked the cod of the finale of the 9th! My God that was brave choice for no 1 when so many don't consider it Canonical Bruckner at all . Mind, that version didn't Quite get the penultimate trumpet discord than makes the Final chord of the coda perfectly telling.
Bruckner 1 has many of his hallmark Brucknerian elements that of course shine more strongly in his later symphonies, but you can just tell its him even from that fist symphony.
Dvorak has actually a great symphony output, he's a splendid orchestrator and melodist. I suggest the Dorati recording for the 7th, clear and powerful.
Shows the biases when Bruckner gets four of his top 10 spots. IMO, the ending to Shostakovich 4th is what, as an extended musical essay, symphonic form is all about and summarizes the theme of his essay to the world better that any symphony before or since. Glad it wasn't performed for ~35 years. Glad he also wrote symphonies after it. (Buckner, and Mahler, both bore me. I find 10 to 15 minutes of music interesting within their oeuvre. What it is for me.)
Shostakovich 7 not being here is wild to me. After hearing the CSO recording of it with Bernstein conducting it, I'll never hear a better symphony finale.
Bit repetitive and drawn out for me, and dramatic, rather than emotional. I like Elgar S1 and Rach S2. Everything on this video was drama rather than melody - just leaves you with tinnitus.
Very nice list! To extend it to TOP20, my proposals would be: Martinu 1st, Berlioz Fantastique, Kalinnikov 1st, Shostakovich 11th, Dvořák 8th, Mahler 1st and 2nd, Kabeláč 5th, Janáček Sinfonietta, Beethoven 7th... ...there are many "noisy" ones, but also several chilling silent endings, even harder to choose the best ones :-)
Tchaikovsky's 6th being one of the chilling silent endings ones. It's like he was predicting his death which happened shortly thereafter. It always gives me teary eyes
Bruckner is amazing when it comes to symphonies, but here’s what I think should’ve been on the list despite the order: Mahler 1&2, rach 2, Shostakovich 5&11, tchaikovsky 4,6 & manfred, sibelius 2, dvorak 9 (im more of a romantic genre listener, so couldn’t come up with the Haydn/Mozart symphonies)
Beautiful, masterful pieces of music all of them. I wonder if we can have an honorable mention for Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. It's not a symphony, but that ending with the cannons ...
I'd put Bruckner 5 somewhere in there. I haven't understood most of the symphony, but the coda is good. If I just consider the coda, I choose Celibidache's 1986 Munich (not Tokyo) recording, and Konwitschny's 1961 recording.
Oh that 5th is quite something else. It has some confidence and almost attitude that really doesn't appear in any other brucknerian symphony. The thing that makes me giggle everytime is the final fugue with that incredibly irreverent subject almost alla Berlioz. It is an extraordinary symphony nonetheless, in between the exuberance of the brass one can still feel the profundity of this piece.
So basically they should be 1.narurally building the tension to the maximum, 2, but not exaggerating in repetition, and 3.summarizing the thematic and harmonic materials in a eloquent way. A good list. Just a little bit surprised to see Nelsons and esp.the completed version of Bruckners 9th. I love it.
If you’re going to choose a Nielsen ending, surely the 2nd symphony with those repetitive chords in quick succession, building to a climax and marching in rhythm, would have been better choice than his 3rd.
I'm glad the finale of Eroica is getting some love. I always considered it to be the crowning jewel of the symphony because it shows B's mastery of learned topic (variations, counterpoint etc)
For me the 3rd movement of the Eroica ruins the momentum. The 1st two movements are perfect and the mood of the scherzo is too carefree after the funeral march in the 2nd.
@@johntravena119 I kinda agree with you though, but remember Eroica is in Ed MAJOR, it's supposed to be heroic not sad all the time. That being said ive always loved how the major movement in the 5th worked better into the piece than the Schezo from Eroica did.
Beethoven 5th symphony, with those massive and alimighty forte chords, one after the other like blows delivered in a boxing ring -as it reaches its climax.. with the great enlongated Cmajor final note, triple forte.
I love your list. I'm glad to see there is another Bruckner fan out there - we are so disparaged! Just to add to the fun and greatness. . . Ironically, I've always loved the finale to Nielsen's 3rd Symphony, but the 1st movement! The way the frenetic energy builds and the horns reach the climax is exhilarating. Of course, the Sibelius 7th. And, if I may interpolate a bit. If one could see the 4 movement Reger Psalm 100 as a symphony (a stretch, I know, but humor me), I would say the finale of the 4th movement is one of the greatest in all classical music. Does anyone even listen to it? If Bruckner fans are in the dog house, Reger fans are, alas, "behind you in the smallest room in your house" - if you get the reference.😪
Haha I was waiting for Mahler 8 I knew it *had* to be on here since it’s so grand. Interesting that you’re not as interested in any more modern composers (really I mean any from the 20th century). For me Shostakovich has some of the best endings but that’s just my opinion. Also you can’t go wrong with the end of the Firebird. Have the agree that maybe putting Bruckner’s 9th wasn’t a good choice (at least for first) *just* because it was incomplete, I think it kinda goes against the composer’s wishes. Great list tho, never heard Dvorak 7 and it’s great!
Good list. At least A couple here I need to find out more about. Thanks to those who have made further recommendations in the comments. I would throw in Elgar 1 and for pure fun Ives 2.
A fascinating, intriguing list - I am surprised that Bruckner 8's cataclysmic ending isn't there, or indeed Bruckner 7. A few suggestions - Mahler 1 and 2 (he was great at endings), Shostakovich 10, Sibelius 5, Walton 1. As a change from emphatic endings, I suggest the ineffable beauty of Vaughan Williams 5.
Agree whole-heartedly with RVW getting a mention. But 6's ending might be the more impactful quiet ending, something Vaughan Williams was not scared to attempt in his symphonies... and more than attempt he did.
Listening to these spectacular endings again and reading the comments, it's interesting no one mentions Berlioz Symphony Fantastique, which I omitted in my earlier comment.
I, too, love Bruckner, and it's great to see that in the last half a century or more he's enjoyed a resurgence. Still, for me, number 1 would be Mozart's final symphonic utterance; the coda that concludes his Jupiter Symphony No. 41.
As you said, your personal favourites, therefore no right or wrong. Definately not a bad list at all. I wouldn't put a piece like the Bruckner 9 on there because that coda is not part of the sketches available and therefore complete conjecture on the part of whoever decides to make a performing version of the Finale. But it is not a bad ending either, even it is not written by Bruckner. I miss Rachmaninov 1st on this list. ;)
Thanks. Yes that 9th is quite controversial here, but really I personally cannot put anything above that recorded coda in terms of power, depth and greatness. I always wonder how the coda would've been if Bruckner had lived enough to write his definitive version.
All the threes! Copland 3 Arnell 3 Magnard 3 ... and Walton 1 The climax (the whole movement, one long crescendo) of Respighi's Pines of Rome (effectively a symphony), especially with George Pretre conductings is (insert superlative of choice).
Finale of Bruckner 9 was epic!!!! However, I won’t put it on my list since this movement wasn’t entirely composed by Bruckner. For me, Bruckner 5 and 8 were more reasonable!!!
Agree w you on Bruckner 9 despite the controversy. Bruckner never ended on a downer. Unlike say Mahler 6 or Tchaikovsky 6. Bruckner 9 adagio ends on such a sad note i find it hard to accept. However imperfect the completions are, they end in triumph like an angel ascending to heaven. The final bars transition from minor dissonant notes to triumph. Which version did you provide? Rattle? Or Schaller? Thx!
Bruckner was dying when he wrote this. If you are not particularly religious, dying is letting go of who you are, accepting the moment when the clock strikes, and releasing your spirit into the unknown. To me the 3rd movement conveys all of this.
@@davidthompson3255 This is nit the work of Bruckner, though, if we are being honest - it's a completion based on the sketchiest of sketches: those final bars are someone else's invention. That's not to say you're not allowed to like it, of course.
Sometimes the downer endings are the best way to end a work, though. Vaughan Williams comes to mind, but less "downer" sometimes and more just "quiet" like a final sigh. It can be just as uplifting or harrowing, like the 5th and 6th respectively.
Excellent list! Each selection has an exciting dramatic coda. The ending of Dvorak's 7th is a personal favorite of mine, and I could listen to it over and over. I would add 2 more: Schubert's 9th (the Great C Major) and Tchaikovsky's 5th.
Interesting choice, there are many more though. I would have considered Sibelius maybe 2 and 5, Saint Sean's organ symphony, Berlioz fantastique. Tchaikovsky 4 or 5, Beethoven 5 and 9 Schumann 2. Bruckner 8 (the finale of 9 , here was not written by Bruckner).... There are some of the Shostakovich's as well... Big choice.
I thought it was going to be the 3rd movement of Bruckner's 9th as the best ending ever. The unintended ending. The fear before the acceptance of death.
The finale of Saint Saens Organ symphony is really impossible to top, with Dvorak's New World symphony a close second. Good list although I lean earlier in the repertoire.
With all the respect for the giant that Shostakovich is, I don't think the term "great" can be applied to him, at least in this specific sense I inferred throughout this video and comments.
Definitely Copland 3, Brahms 1, Sibelius 2, Shos 5, (and if I can stretch the rules a bit: Brahms Piano C I, Tchaik Violin C and runner up: Candide Finale)
My choice is the No 8 : Synphony No 1 of Johannes Brahms , because your end is to another level and for me even more , I hear at least two times in the month this Synphonny complete.
Great choice, and not just the usual suspects. I like the emphasis on Bruckner and not just Mahler. Perhaps you would undertake a second list of ten finals.
Nice that you include some Nielsen, and the 3rd is indeed lovely, but to pick it above the 4th or 5th? To my mind both of these would have to be in the top 10, and the 3rd would narrowly miss out.
Listening to this for the first time I thought" where is the Eroica? But there it is at no: 3. Also agree about your lovely Bruckner choices. But (by the way) listen to the finishes of Elgar1.
Here was my progression with Bruckner. 4th was my gateway drug, fell in love with that piece. Then the 7th (started with the finale first, then heard the rest of the symphony). Then I heard the 8th finale then the rest of the symphony, then I heard the 5th (I started from the beginning that time and was a bit perplexed, I didnt get it immediately, but then I saw a video by Richard Atkins called "The Immense Fugal Finale of Bruckner's Fifth Symphony" which gave me a massive appreciation for that finale, so then I listened to that movement in full, and then the full piece, then I heard Bruckners 6th. For the longest time I didnt pay much attention to his earlier symphonies or the 9th (mostly because it didnt have a finale), so the next one I heard was the 1st and I was in shock at how good it was, especially for a first symphony. Most composers have very ok first symphonies, aside from Mahler or Brahms, nobody really started out so incrediblt strong at symphonic composition, but Bruckner, he had an incredible 1st symphony. Then I heard the 9th and was also very impressed, and finally the third. I have not gotten around to finishing the 2nd. That is the only symphony of his that I was not immediately enthralled by, but I will give it another go. Tldr: My order was 4 7 8 5 6 1 9 3 2, but my recommended order is 4 1 (7 you already listened to) 5 and then if you made it that far then you are a real one.
@zjschrage thanks for such elaborate response. Actually, one day before you wrote your comment , I have listened his 3rd symphony. Now I am going to listen it again and then 4th.
The wrote the same symphony 7 times (jk). I like his 3rd since I played it, His 2nd is well known for that beautiful theme in the finale, the 5th has a very unique short ending to it, and the 7th I havent really "gotten", I want to listen to it again, as well as the 4th, which my friend said to me he always envisions this epic arctic landscapes with that one. Perhaps those two will grow on me.
First, where you found the 9th Bruckner's endding? Second, in my opinion, all enddings of Bruckner's symp. after the number 3 is included in the list. And there are many others enddings that are very good too from these composers... and I missed another composers, Tchaikovsky, Murssogy, Shostakovity...
I ignor under what concept you choose this list, was it because the bombastic, clangorous loud and majestic style of them? or for structural, musical scheme or creativity.. what was your criteria?
Interesting list and to each his own as music is completely subjective...But for someone so enthralled by the majestic endings of Bruckner, it beats the heck out of me why you didnt include his most epic ending of all- that of the 8th symphony?
Ahahah, yes that's a comment I've often received down here. But for some reason the 8th's finale doesn't convince me as much as the other Bruckner's finali do, that's just my preference. I definitely love it, it's glorious and bright, but I find it too celebrative and with not much going on to be honest - probably the 4th movement of the 8th is the perfect example of what many musicologists refer to as the "Bruckner finale problem", which for me shows quite well in the 3rd, the 4th and here in the 8th. But this is just my preference, and surely doesn't take anything away from Bruckner's genius.
@@decibellic Thanks for the explanation
@@decibellicNow please listen to Mozart's symphony 41 "Jupiter", the 4-th movement, ending.🎆🎆🎇🎇🎆🎆🎇🎇🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊
You must do a Top 11, that way you could include Mahler 2.
mahler 2 *is* the top
Agreed with both of y'all
@violamateo Glad someone acknowledges mahler 1's ending (and of course 2nd is obvious) don't know 5th yet but won't surpise me if the finale is epic
Mahler 2 in first place, of course.
@@andreduarte9746 Franckly for the few Mahler symphonies i have listened to yes 2nd symphony's ending is propably the most epic finale i have ever listened to yet
Shostakovich is a must have on this list. Certainly a master at ending his beautiful symphonic works. Would recommend his 7th or 5th
Or his 11th
mahler 2 bro
Yes, I put Mahler's 8th, I feel like it is an improved and greater version of the 2nd.
@@decibellic debatable
@@asdf7219 sorry, I agree Mahler 8 is Mahler 2’s big brother
@@Kyle-ur4mr me too
No, Mahler 9 has the best
Mahler’s 2nd and Beethoven’s 5th and 9th are the most epic endings for me. I continue to get chills from the end of Beethoven’s 9th.
seid umschlungen millionen diESE KUSS FUR GAAANZEN WELTT!!!!!!!!
Beethoven hammers way too much for me
Mahler's second just slays me every time. i have to listen to it alone.
chills from Beethoven and streaming tears from Mahler
Yup same
Bruckner’s fourth is probably one of the most exhilarating endings of any musical composition.
Completely agree. I played it as a Clarinet player and it made me feel thriling!😅
To me, the Bruckner 9th is perfect in 3 movements. Like " Art of the Fugue" ending mid-phrase. The slowing tempo, the clock marking the hour, the final sound of the horn disappearing into space. It was meant to end this way.
Totally agree with you, my ending is a little tricky here.
@@decibellic Presumably then it was a reconstructed 4th movement we were hearing. I know the other 3 but not that. Sounds like they did a good job even if not the real article.
@@alanrobertson9790 Yes, it was reconstructed but probably less than what everyone would think. Simon Rattle is one of the most renowed musicians that advocate for the fact that most of the 4th movement of the 9th was already sketched out if not written down. The major issue for me is not, as everyone else think, that this reconstructed movement is not genuinely from Bruckner himself, but that even if Bruckner had written a complete version of the last movement, he later would've spent more months in re-adjusting it or changing few passages, if not whole sections as he did for the Scherzo.
@@decibellic In the meantime I've become very familiar with this movement. I understand that 18 out of 24 mins were written by Bruckner so that its only the coda at the end that needed writing anew. To anyone familiar with his other symphonies it sounds exactly like Bruckner. Some people are anti this movement but for me its exactly what is needed. The 3 movements of the 9th made for a super depressing symphony but adding this 4th movement makes the overall symphony uplifting and to my mind far more satisfactory. (However as art is essentially subjective I'm happy if someone asserts the exact opposite).
I got to number 2, and I said to myself 1 has to be Bruckner 8th. Controversial to pick the 9th since he didnt complete it. The coda of the 8th is sublime. I would have also included Mahler 2, and may Shostakovich 5
I agree with you completely. The coda of the third movement of 8 is also transcendent. The only problem with AB’s endings is that I never want the piece to end in the first place.
Definitely! On all counts.
Maybe Shosty 7
@@elliottblanchardcomposing who’s Shosty
Shosty is Shostakovich.
As much as I love this list, Mahler 6 definitely deserves a place on this list. The hero being ultimately knocked down at the end and tragedy triumphing is such a profound ending. The final minor passage has a brief shift to major tonality for a brief final death throe in the struggle for hope but it is all crushed with a powerful tutti A minor chord and ends with a pizzicato.
Mozart 41 Fugal Goda. Greatest Ever.
I dont know why but i never liked the coda, i loved the counterpoint that proceeds it but the harmonies in the coda are boring imo, it always reminds me of plain chant. Maybe its because the themes arent cadential and are rather scalar and diatonic.
A triumphant ending.
My two favorite endings are Mahlers 1st and Shostakovichs 7th.
Someone loves Bruckner.
We get it, you like Bruckner.
Yeah, I also got that feeling.
Great List! As always, some great pieces are left on the cutting room floor. I love the endings of Copland No. 3, Mahler No. 2, Tchaikovsky No. 5, Franck's in D Minor, Bruckner No. 8, Sibelius No.2 and Rachmoninoff No.2. I wonder how your list would look with a one entry per composer rule?
I just mentioned Copland 3 before I saw your comment. You might like to check the other I mentioned.
Very strange list for someone who is so Bruckner oriented, not to include his magnificent 8th somewhere near the top or the two greatest endings in classical music, the Mahler 2nd and the Shostakovich 7th. But you are entitled to your opinion and these are wonderful pieces.
Yep, Mahler 2nd. Undisputed as far as I am concerned. But hé, to each their own.
Yes for me the best final is Šostakovič 7th
I loved this list because I am quite the Bruckner enjoyer myself, but I agree, Shosty 5 and Mahler 2 have spectacular endings.
Mahler’s 8th is amazing. I would’ve put Bruckner’s 4th higher. Also, Beethoven’s 9th.
I also missed beethoven's 9th
Very nice to see this list. Will be listening to some more Bruckner from now on. For me it's Mahler 2nd which will top my list any day.
Shoutout to the lead trumpets (and sometimes the whole section!) freaking screaming for the whole last 5 minutes of already intense symphonies
The Bruckner 9 finale/coda is not by Bruckner who left only rough sketches for the 4th movement, tentatively suggesting his Te Deum as the finale. That has not stopped various composers (Carrigan etc.) from trying their hand at being Bruckner, whose final thoughts we will never know.
Of the finales he did write, the coda to the 8th is undoubtedly the greatest, combining as it does all the major themes of the preceding movements into a glorious apotheosis.
The ending that had the greatest effect on me was Mahler 9.
That is for sure his best, in my opinion
Mahlers 9th is an epically emotional ride from beginning to end, but the last 5 minutes are heart stopping. My all time favorite. HOWEVER....for sheer symphonic power, you can’t beat the coda of his 8th. Adding full organ, (but you need a GOOD ONE...and off stage brass is the game changer.
Congratulations! Nice selection, and with several from Bruckner, master of the heaven - storming coda. And I had a huge smile when you picked the cod of the finale of the 9th! My God that was brave choice for no 1 when so many don't consider it Canonical Bruckner at all . Mind, that version didn't Quite get the penultimate trumpet discord than makes the Final chord of the coda perfectly telling.
Bruckner 1 has many of his hallmark Brucknerian elements that of course shine more strongly in his later symphonies, but you can just tell its him even from that fist symphony.
I was really happy to see Dvorak 7 on here.
Needs Shostakovich 11.
Shostakovich 11 is awesome, sad it doesn’t get its due
I had never listened to Dvorak 7 before, I agree with its placement on this list, I definitely need to give it a full listen
Dvorak has actually a great symphony output, he's a splendid orchestrator and melodist. I suggest the Dorati recording for the 7th, clear and powerful.
@@decibellic just listened to that recording, it was great! I still think that Dvorak 8 is my favorite though. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@colehusted4618 Glad to hear so!
Shows the biases when Bruckner gets four of his top 10 spots. IMO, the ending to Shostakovich 4th is what, as an extended musical essay, symphonic form is all about and summarizes the theme of his essay to the world better that any symphony before or since. Glad it wasn't performed for ~35 years. Glad he also wrote symphonies after it. (Buckner, and Mahler, both bore me. I find 10 to 15 minutes of music interesting within their oeuvre. What it is for me.)
Where is Beethoven's 9th Symphony? It had a really dramatic ending with the chorus.
It still has.
@@karldelavigne8134 That isn't my point. I know it has.
Shostakovich 7 not being here is wild to me. After hearing the CSO recording of it with Bernstein conducting it, I'll never hear a better symphony finale.
Bit repetitive and drawn out for me, and dramatic, rather than emotional. I like Elgar S1 and Rach S2. Everything on this video was drama rather than melody - just leaves you with tinnitus.
"Resurrección" Sinfonía número 2 de Mahler; el final es de lo más elevado que se ha compuesto.
Toda la sinfonía es una auténtica obra de arte.
La segunda de Mahler en su plenitud es la descripción auditiva de ascender a los cielos
The ending of Mahler’s 2nd is the greatest music in history
Very nice list! To extend it to TOP20, my proposals would be: Martinu 1st, Berlioz Fantastique, Kalinnikov 1st, Shostakovich 11th, Dvořák 8th, Mahler 1st and 2nd, Kabeláč 5th, Janáček Sinfonietta, Beethoven 7th... ...there are many "noisy" ones, but also several chilling silent endings, even harder to choose the best ones :-)
Tchaikovsky's 6th being one of the chilling silent endings ones. It's like he was predicting his death which happened shortly thereafter. It always gives me teary eyes
Kalinnikov 1 - so beautifully orchestrated and composed! Always a go-to for me.
Wow. Kalinnikov! Deep shine emotions always come when someone mentioned this name 😊
Bruckner is amazing when it comes to symphonies, but here’s what I think should’ve been on the list despite the order: Mahler 1&2, rach 2, Shostakovich 5&11, tchaikovsky 4,6 & manfred, sibelius 2, dvorak 9 (im more of a romantic genre listener, so couldn’t come up with the Haydn/Mozart symphonies)
Shostakovich N⁰7 literally lights my fucking headphones on fire when it finishes. No justice for Dmitri smh 😔
Hmm for me Shostakovich's 5th, 7th and 15th all have extremely well-crafted endings (listen especially to Shostakovich #15.)
Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements - POW!
Beautiful, masterful pieces of music all of them. I wonder if we can have an honorable mention for Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. It's not a symphony, but that ending with the cannons ...
Aha, you mean that noisy 18 by 12 decibels of sound. Haha, just kidding. I heard it long ago in the Albert Hall. The youngsters liked it a lot.
I'd put Bruckner 5 somewhere in there. I haven't understood most of the symphony, but the coda is good. If I just consider the coda, I choose Celibidache's 1986 Munich (not Tokyo) recording, and Konwitschny's 1961 recording.
Oh that 5th is quite something else. It has some confidence and almost attitude that really doesn't appear in any other brucknerian symphony. The thing that makes me giggle everytime is the final fugue with that incredibly irreverent subject almost alla Berlioz. It is an extraordinary symphony nonetheless, in between the exuberance of the brass one can still feel the profundity of this piece.
With Benjamin Zander's recording of the 5th, comes his lecture on his interpretation. Could be interesting for you.
I think Bruckners 5th has definitely deserved a place on this list.
That entire finale is really something!
So basically they should be 1.narurally building the tension to the maximum, 2, but not exaggerating in repetition, and 3.summarizing the thematic and harmonic materials in a eloquent way.
A good list.
Just a little bit surprised to see Nelsons and esp.the completed version of Bruckners 9th. I love it.
Yes those are good points. I surprised myself with Nelson too, to be honest! That's a great symphony nonetheless, from beginning to end.
@@decibellic Nielsen. Not Nelson.
If you’re going to choose a Nielsen ending, surely the 2nd symphony with those repetitive chords in quick succession, building to a climax and marching in rhythm, would have been better choice than his 3rd.
This list was about the greatest or the noisiest??😅😅
I'm glad the finale of Eroica is getting some love. I always considered it to be the crowning jewel of the symphony because it shows B's mastery of learned topic (variations, counterpoint etc)
For me the 3rd movement of the Eroica ruins the momentum. The 1st two movements are perfect and the mood of the scherzo is too carefree after the funeral march in the 2nd.
@@johntravena119 Eroica is about contrast, you can only know alin e is croked if you know what a striaght line looks like. Same with the Eroica.
@@leonhardeuler6811 It’s still one of my favorite symphonies.
@@johntravena119 I kinda agree with you though, but remember Eroica is in Ed MAJOR, it's supposed to be heroic not sad all the time.
That being said ive always loved how the major movement in the 5th worked better into the piece than the Schezo from Eroica did.
@@leonhardeuler6811 Agree
Sibelius' 5th got the best ending
And Sibelius’s 7th.
How to end on a C Major chord that sounds ominous and tragic.
Beethoven 5th symphony, with those massive and alimighty forte chords, one after the other like blows delivered in a boxing ring -as it reaches its climax.. with the great enlongated Cmajor final note, triple forte.
I would have put Neptune the Mystic at 1, followed by Jupiter bringer of jollity and then Mars bringer of war. I really like Holst
Saturn!
Me gusto tu top! Yo agregaría, para variar, Stravinsky (The firebird), Camille Saint (symphony no. 3) y Mahler (Symphony no. 3)
I love the Bruckner symphonies especially the third.
I love your list. I'm glad to see there is another Bruckner fan out there - we are so disparaged! Just to add to the fun and greatness. . . Ironically, I've always loved the finale to Nielsen's 3rd Symphony, but the 1st movement! The way the frenetic energy builds and the horns reach the climax is exhilarating. Of course, the Sibelius 7th. And, if I may interpolate a bit. If one could see the 4 movement Reger Psalm 100 as a symphony (a stretch, I know, but humor me), I would say the finale of the 4th movement is one of the greatest in all classical music. Does anyone even listen to it? If Bruckner fans are in the dog house, Reger fans are, alas, "behind you in the smallest room in your house" - if you get the reference.😪
I love that in this list of Romantic era symphonies, one of them (Dvorak) has a coda that is so Baroque in style.
Fantastic list. Gotta stick up for Mr. Haydn here and throw in his 45th, 103rd, and 104th.
Haha I was waiting for Mahler 8 I knew it *had* to be on here since it’s so grand. Interesting that you’re not as interested in any more modern composers (really I mean any from the 20th century). For me Shostakovich has some of the best endings but that’s just my opinion. Also you can’t go wrong with the end of the Firebird. Have the agree that maybe putting Bruckner’s 9th wasn’t a good choice (at least for first) *just* because it was incomplete, I think it kinda goes against the composer’s wishes. Great list tho, never heard Dvorak 7 and it’s great!
Agreed. The Shostakovich 5th has a mesmerizing finale.
i must say as a Dvorak lover, the ending of the 8th or 9th should be in the top 10❤️
Nice choices. :)
Good list. At least A couple here I need to find out more about. Thanks to those who have made further recommendations in the comments. I would throw in Elgar 1 and for pure fun Ives 2.
Saint-Saëns 3 - you need a cigarette after that finale!
A fascinating, intriguing list - I am surprised that Bruckner 8's cataclysmic ending isn't there, or indeed Bruckner 7. A few suggestions - Mahler 1 and 2 (he was great at endings), Shostakovich 10, Sibelius 5, Walton 1. As a change from emphatic endings, I suggest the ineffable beauty of Vaughan Williams 5.
Agree whole-heartedly with RVW getting a mention. But 6's ending might be the more impactful quiet ending, something Vaughan Williams was not scared to attempt in his symphonies... and more than attempt he did.
Listening to these spectacular endings again and reading the comments, it's interesting no one mentions Berlioz Symphony Fantastique, which I omitted in my earlier comment.
Sibelius Second? Mahler Third? Brahms Second?
I, too, love Bruckner, and it's great to see that in the last half a century or more he's enjoyed a resurgence. Still, for me, number 1 would be Mozart's final symphonic utterance; the coda that concludes his Jupiter Symphony No. 41.
A good bit of modern faux-Bruckner is the lighting of Gondor's beacons in Part 3 LOTR.
My favorite has got to be Maslanka 4. Absolutely Earth-shattering.
Decent list for sure
Entiendo que eres fanático de Bruckner...
I clearly am.
Es dificil ver mal en una persona que es fanatico de Anton B.
I was gonna say that in English.
No only that, he is also a fan of Mahler, higher than Beethoven, Brahms !
What on Earth gave you that idea!
Only 4 Bruckner? Ah well, so many great endings to choose from
As you said, your personal favourites, therefore no right or wrong.
Definately not a bad list at all. I wouldn't put a piece like the Bruckner 9 on there because that coda is not part of the sketches available and therefore complete conjecture on the part of whoever decides to make a performing version of the Finale.
But it is not a bad ending either, even it is not written by Bruckner.
I miss Rachmaninov 1st on this list. ;)
Thanks. Yes that 9th is quite controversial here, but really I personally cannot put anything above that recorded coda in terms of power, depth and greatness. I always wonder how the coda would've been if Bruckner had lived enough to write his definitive version.
Per Nørgård's 6th is my favorite. Like entering a riverdelta from another world!
The Saint-Saëns 3rd? How did that not make the top of this list?
Bruckner had a penchant for epic endings, albeit the 4th Symphony's is my favourite one, followed by the 8th's.
All the threes! Copland 3 Arnell 3 Magnard 3 ... and Walton 1
The climax (the whole movement, one long crescendo) of Respighi's Pines of Rome (effectively a symphony), especially with George Pretre conductings is (insert superlative of choice).
Quite bold of you to pick as no. 1 a piece of music composed essentially by a committee of musicologists!
Hello, may I ask which recordings are used for each of the endings in the list?
Cesar Franck's finale of his Symphony in D is a little bit of heaven on Earth...surely it should be on ANY list of great symphony endings.
Finale of Bruckner 9 was epic!!!! However, I won’t put it on my list since this movement wasn’t entirely composed by Bruckner. For me, Bruckner 5 and 8 were more reasonable!!!
And ending to a symphonic piece is like an exclamation point at the end of a sentence.
Fun. Nice to see Bruckner's First here, but your #1 was written by a committee. I enjoy it too.
Agree w you on Bruckner 9 despite the controversy. Bruckner never ended on a downer. Unlike say Mahler 6 or Tchaikovsky 6. Bruckner 9 adagio ends on such a sad note i find it hard to accept. However imperfect the completions are, they end in triumph like an angel ascending to heaven. The final bars transition from minor dissonant notes to triumph. Which version did you provide? Rattle? Or Schaller? Thx!
I just did some comparing - I think this is Rattle 2012. SMPC 2012 version?
Bruckner was dying when he wrote this. If you are not particularly religious, dying is letting go of who you are, accepting the moment when the clock strikes, and releasing your spirit into the unknown. To me the 3rd movement conveys all of this.
@@davidthompson3255 This is nit the work of Bruckner, though, if we are being honest - it's a completion based on the sketchiest of sketches: those final bars are someone else's invention. That's not to say you're not allowed to like it, of course.
Sometimes the downer endings are the best way to end a work, though. Vaughan Williams comes to mind, but less "downer" sometimes and more just "quiet" like a final sigh. It can be just as uplifting or harrowing, like the 5th and 6th respectively.
Great! Who are the performers in the Brahms 1?
Hi, it's Karajan with BPO, I believe the recording is this: th-cam.com/video/9plLIU6KoI0/w-d-xo.html
Probably one of the first tier lists about classical that I agree with more xD Rachmaninov 1 tho? o: Maybe
I needed to see 3 names, Dvorák, Mahler, and Buckner. Alas, I was not disappointed.
For me, the best coda is Bruckner 4th.
@@decibellic Greetings from México.
Which recording of Dvorak 7 is that?
th-cam.com/video/87VbJp4lCMM/w-d-xo.html
Excellent list! Each selection has an exciting dramatic coda. The ending of Dvorak's 7th is a personal favorite of mine, and I could listen to it over and over. I would add 2 more: Schubert's 9th (the Great C Major) and Tchaikovsky's 5th.
Schuberts 9th. Beyond a Masterpiece!
Interesting choice, there are many more though. I would have considered Sibelius maybe 2 and 5, Saint Sean's organ symphony, Berlioz fantastique. Tchaikovsky 4 or 5, Beethoven 5 and 9 Schumann 2.
Bruckner 8 (the finale of 9 , here was not written by Bruckner)....
There are some of the Shostakovich's as well... Big choice.
Agreed on the last phrase of your comment. Skip the finale of Bruckner 9 and use the ending of the first movement as one of his greatest.
Please no Tchaikovsky 5...very weak finale, I'll take the 4th or 6th any day.
Good to see some Saint Saëns love. His Organ Symphony is one of my absolute favorites, along with Danse Macabré and Les Carnival des Animeaux.
Good point selecting just the loudest finale as they get.)
Sibalius 5th 👌👌
Any of Malcolm Arnold’s symphonies are up there but the 4th ending is just epic and draining to play it’s so good
¿Y la 8a de Bruckner?
I thought it was going to be the 3rd movement of Bruckner's 9th as the best ending ever. The unintended ending. The fear before the acceptance of death.
The finale of Saint Saens Organ symphony is really impossible to top, with Dvorak's New World symphony a close second. Good list although I lean earlier in the repertoire.
My number 1 surely.But forgotten Shostakovich's 5-th symphony
With all the respect for the giant that Shostakovich is, I don't think the term "great" can be applied to him, at least in this specific sense I inferred throughout this video and comments.
Definitely Copland 3, Brahms 1, Sibelius 2, Shos 5, (and if I can stretch the rules a bit: Brahms Piano C I, Tchaik Violin C and runner up: Candide Finale)
My choice is the No 8 : Synphony No 1 of Johannes Brahms , because your end is to another level and for me even more , I hear at least two times in the month this Synphonny complete.
Great choice, and not just the usual suspects. I like the emphasis on Bruckner and not just Mahler. Perhaps you would undertake a second list of ten finals.
Nice that you include some Nielsen, and the 3rd is indeed lovely, but to pick it above the 4th or 5th? To my mind both of these would have to be in the top 10, and the 3rd would narrowly miss out.
Listening to this for the first time I thought" where is the Eroica? But there it is at no: 3. Also agree about your lovely Bruckner choices. But (by the way) listen to the finishes of Elgar1.
I have listened only Burckner's 7th, which his symphonies would you suggest me to listen next?
Here was my progression with Bruckner. 4th was my gateway drug, fell in love with that piece. Then the 7th (started with the finale first, then heard the rest of the symphony). Then I heard the 8th finale then the rest of the symphony, then I heard the 5th (I started from the beginning that time and was a bit perplexed, I didnt get it immediately, but then I saw a video by Richard Atkins called "The Immense Fugal Finale of Bruckner's Fifth Symphony" which gave me a massive appreciation for that finale, so then I listened to that movement in full, and then the full piece, then I heard Bruckners 6th. For the longest time I didnt pay much attention to his earlier symphonies or the 9th (mostly because it didnt have a finale), so the next one I heard was the 1st and I was in shock at how good it was, especially for a first symphony. Most composers have very ok first symphonies, aside from Mahler or Brahms, nobody really started out so incrediblt strong at symphonic composition, but Bruckner, he had an incredible 1st symphony. Then I heard the 9th and was also very impressed, and finally the third. I have not gotten around to finishing the 2nd. That is the only symphony of his that I was not immediately enthralled by, but I will give it another go.
Tldr: My order was 4 7 8 5 6 1 9 3 2, but my recommended order is 4 1 (7 you already listened to) 5 and then if you made it that far then you are a real one.
@zjschrage thanks for such elaborate response.
Actually, one day before you wrote your comment , I have listened his 3rd symphony. Now I am going to listen it again and then 4th.
@@DiegoATpl The 4th has a special place in my heart haha
There are many glorious Symphonies to chose from but operas usually end badly...now that would be a difficult list...start with Rheingold...
Gustav Mahler symphony 2 Resurrection
In my list would definitely be Mahler 1
Interesting, that's a lovely one.
What's your opinion on sibelius
The wrote the same symphony 7 times (jk). I like his 3rd since I played it, His 2nd is well known for that beautiful theme in the finale, the 5th has a very unique short ending to it, and the 7th I havent really "gotten", I want to listen to it again, as well as the 4th, which my friend said to me he always envisions this epic arctic landscapes with that one. Perhaps those two will grow on me.
This is too epic. What recoring is Brahms Symphony 1?
If I'm not wrong it should be this one: th-cam.com/video/9plLIU6KoI0/w-d-xo.html
First, where you found the 9th Bruckner's endding?
Second, in my opinion, all enddings of Bruckner's symp. after the number 3 is included in the list. And there are many others enddings that are very good too from these composers... and I missed another composers, Tchaikovsky, Murssogy, Shostakovity...
This is the version: th-cam.com/video/6LJuesGvtSs/w-d-xo.html
@@decibellic Thank you very much
I ignor under what concept you choose this list, was it because the bombastic, clangorous loud and majestic style of them? or for structural, musical scheme or creativity.. what was your criteria?