7 of the Most Epic Symphony Endings in Classical Music History

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  • Опубліковано 5 лют 2025

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  • @obsidianmusic303
    @obsidianmusic303  11 місяців тому +73

    Before anyone comments "stop talking over the music", we have a version without the voiceover here!
    ua-cam.com/video/QsKYqLEJbnE/v-deo.htmlsi=UPrJyiW3VcuUUdjn
    The title of this video has recently been renamed from “7 Greatest Symphony Endings…” to “7 of the Most Epic Symphony Endings…”. As the disclaimer in the description states, this list is highly subjective and open-to-suggestions; we never intended the video to be a definitive “Greatest of All Time” list. Instead, the original purpose was always to introduce potential new audiences to the great and wonderful world of classical music, so we included some lesser-known symphonies for a general audience. Also, please remember, no one has time to make an entire hour of all good symphony endings, so please understand if your favorite ending wasn't included.
    As you may have picked up from some of our comments, we will be making a second (and possibly a third!) video with more amazing symphony finales, so if you have any suggestions, please kindly comment them!
    We recently uploaded another version of this video with no voiceover that you can find here: ua-cam.com/video/QsKYqLEJbnE/v-deo.htmlsi=XDivJEy7m6dXI8wY
    Yes Beethoven 9 will be in the second video!!!

    • @stnicolastaplow4096
      @stnicolastaplow4096 10 місяців тому +1

      No-one has time? I have time 😂

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      @@stnicolastaplow4096Oh, great! We would love to see your choices if you decide to make a video yourself!

    • @Flaric99
      @Flaric99 10 місяців тому +3

      Where is Beethoven?

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      @@Flaric99 He will be first in the next video! I have already started making it and I have found a great recording for Beethoven 9. Stay tuned!

    • @jackgonzalez7727
      @jackgonzalez7727 10 місяців тому +2

      No Beethoven?
      Wow... What a list...

  • @doctorcane
    @doctorcane 10 місяців тому +209

    Irony: you could do an entire video of just Mahler symphony endings and it would almost be perfect in and of itself.

    • @true_west4704
      @true_west4704 10 місяців тому +5

      I was thinking the same. The endings of 1st and the 5th are also epic.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +12

      We're planning to make an entire video dedicated to the life of Mahler, with all his symphonies!

    • @pelocitdarney5718
      @pelocitdarney5718 10 місяців тому +8

      Mahler 6 ending: I know it's coming every time, but every time, with the quiet lead up to the end, but I almost jump out of my skin on the sudden explosion from the orchestra in the last few bars.
      Mahler 9 ending: amazing question posed by the violas at the end - what is to be, they are asking
      Mahler 10 ending: the glissando rise at the end, followed by the descent. So spooky.

    • @tannhaeuserx464
      @tannhaeuserx464 9 місяців тому

      Except the first.

    • @doctorcane
      @doctorcane 9 місяців тому +2

      @@tannhaeuserx464 uh what? The coda to 1 is outstanding

  • @eduardovieira7001
    @eduardovieira7001 10 місяців тому +307

    The first time you hear Mahler’s second is a lifetime experience. It’s unforgettable.

    • @creslinwest9243
      @creslinwest9243 10 місяців тому +10

      Truly. Also try singing in it as part of the choir. I've done it twice and each time I've had to fight back tears.
      Also, I love Alondra de la Parra. She was the conductor of our state orchestra for two years. The first major work she performed at the start of her contracted term was the Mahler second symphony. I, unfortunately was not in the choir for that performance and that is one of my life's greatest regrets. She's an incredible conductor, meticulous in rehearsal and exciting and dynamic in performance.

    • @LegendsGhostOfficial
      @LegendsGhostOfficial 10 місяців тому

      ​@creslinwest9243 totally agree! I sang it in 2005 when I was in college and it was an incredible experience!

    • @patrickmcisaac3142
      @patrickmcisaac3142 10 місяців тому +8

      Not to be crude, but I listened to it the first time I ever smoked pot and I swear I flew to another world. It was incredible

    • @spedcodm428
      @spedcodm428 10 місяців тому +5

      @@patrickmcisaac3142 nothing wrong with that haha. Little smoke sesh right before watching something like that live makes you notice and appreciate and love all the nuances of it that make it so special

    • @alfasax
      @alfasax 10 місяців тому

      Divine hope..........

  • @euledj79
    @euledj79 10 місяців тому +94

    Imagine you go to a Mahler 2 live concert with a good orchestra/choir the first time and you never listened it on CD/youtube, etc before...How overwhelmed by sheer emotions, epicness, loudness you would be? Always when I go to a Mahler 2 live concert I get completely blown away by a hurricane of this epic soundwall with its heartbreaking harmonies and lyrics, leaving me in tears. There was never a symphonic work comparable and there will never be one that could reach Mahler 2...a lonesome monument.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +3

      It is purely amazing! I rarely get to listen to live concerts, I would love to go to a live concert of Mahler 2!

    • @euledj79
      @euledj79 10 місяців тому

      ​@@obsidianmusic303If you can get a ticket for the frontrows or best: sitting at the same hight like the choir on the balcony, I bet that you won't forget it in your whole life. But choose a very good orchestra with a professional choir.

    • @Ardjano234
      @Ardjano234 10 місяців тому +2

      I always think I have no patience for Mahler, but after reading this, I think I will just try Mahler 2 out in concert

    • @euledj79
      @euledj79 10 місяців тому

      ​@@obsidianmusic303 Go for it! But its a long journey to the finale and you might be dissapointed by some movements.

    • @crisdekker8223
      @crisdekker8223 10 місяців тому +2

      I always heard that Mahler was this great composer, but I never could get into his music. I stayed curious as to why people found him so great though. So when dutch television was going to live broadcast Mahler's 2nd conducted by Bernhard Haitink as a 50 year commemoration of the bombing of Rotterdam, I thought let's try again. Well, wow. Starting with this violent 1st movement, the staccato opening theme and those hammering chords in the middle you could envision the destruction of the city. Then you get taken on this hour long musical journey culminating in this glorious celebration of the resurrection of the city at the end. I was speechless. I have been a Mahler fan ever since and the 2nd has been my favourite.
      The great thing about the internet is that I can still find that performance right here on UA-cam. O and as far as live concerts go: I had a balcony seat when the local orchestra played the 2nd. Turned out it was the place where the alto was going to sing from. I spent the finale a few feet away from the soloist!

  • @antoineazo9020
    @antoineazo9020 10 місяців тому +37

    I finally completed my quest to see every mahler symphony live, a quest that began a few years ago when i had the chance to actually discover the 2nd live without any prior listening. This is actually the only time i ever cried listening to music, as I was in a bad place at the moment and I felt that symphony resonating with my very soul.
    The finale is the greatest piece of music I have ever heard, not only great by itself, but also perfectly resolving 80 minutes of tension and buildup both musically and metaphorically.
    If angels sang at one's arrival in heaven, this is what you would hear.
    Mahler was a genius.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +3

      That is absolutely amazing, as many people have pointed out, the first time you hear the symphony is one of the greatest feelings you will ever feel, and again the first time you listen to it live. You are incredibly lucky, I wish I will someday be able to hear the symphony live!

    • @danielhoffheimer
      @danielhoffheimer Місяць тому

      You are right

  • @jimslancio
    @jimslancio 10 місяців тому +13

    The end of Shostakovich 7 is as epic as it gets. Bernstein's recorded performance with the Chicago Symphony shook dust out of the rafters all the way from Milwaukee to Gary Indiana.

    • @hillcresthiker
      @hillcresthiker 10 місяців тому

      Those final timpani are earth shattering

  • @williamford9564
    @williamford9564 10 місяців тому +32

    The entirety of Dvorak's 9th is classic and the finale is epic!

  • @ronaldtuckerman6785
    @ronaldtuckerman6785 10 місяців тому +6

    Very nice list. One of my favorites is Sibelius' 2nd. Very triumphant.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for the suggestion, that will definitely be in the third video!

  • @DaveMorris
    @DaveMorris 10 місяців тому +14

    Such a beautiful, wild ride. Thank you. Although choices are always subjective, you chose well, and your descriptions helped newcomers understand what they were experiencing. Bravo.

  • @JugglernautNr9
    @JugglernautNr9 10 місяців тому +41

    No finale of Mahlers first symphony? The last three minutes are so triumphant and fantastic, i always get goosebumps.

    • @mykofreder1682
      @mykofreder1682 10 місяців тому +1

      It is on theme, you do not have be a music major to enjoy it, it has an operettic feel, it is not just going frantic which is easy to do.

    • @JugglernautNr9
      @JugglernautNr9 10 місяців тому +2

      @@mykofreder1682i don't really understand what you wrote

    • @scottmiller6495
      @scottmiller6495 10 місяців тому +2

      I agree, Mahler s Symphony No. 1 is Thee Best Finale of All Time, PERIOD !!!!!!!!!!!

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +6

      Unfortunately, the list for the next video has already been complete. However, we’ll definitely include this in the third video! Saving the best for last.

    • @andre_p
      @andre_p 10 місяців тому +2

      Mahler’s symphonies are a treasure trove of epic moments - the underlying theme almost always depicting triumph over adversity. The finales of symphonies 5, 7 and 8 could also be considered. No 6, too, except it ends in terrifying defeat and absolute nihility. That whole finale is epic to the nth degree.
      That of the 3rd comes closest to being the transcending epic culmination of what went before:
      I-Pan Awakes, Summer Marches In"
      II- "What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me"
      III- "What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me"
      IV-"What Man Tells Me"
      V-«What the Angels Tell Me"
      VI "What Love Tells
      That was Mahler’s intent, but did overreach ? Those final D major paragraphs come at the end of a 100 minute work. Worth waiting for surely, but choosing the end of the 2nd was probably the right choice.
      @@obsidianmusic303

  • @johnnytheyoungmaestro
    @johnnytheyoungmaestro 10 місяців тому +5

    These composers were absolute GIANTS of their time! These works are just colossal! Awesome video! :)

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Thanks for watching! These composers really are great!

  • @andre_p
    @andre_p 10 місяців тому +47

    The coda to Bruckner’s 5th and 8th symphonies define the word ‘epic’, especially when they are taken at a steady, measured pace.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Completely agree! Bruckner’s 8th will be the final ending in the next video!

    • @ΚωνσταντίνοςΚοκολογιαννάκης
      @ΚωνσταντίνοςΚοκολογιαννάκης 10 місяців тому

      What recordings do you recommend?

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      @@ΚωνσταντίνοςΚοκολογιαννάκηςThere are some great recordings of Bruckner’s 8th, here are some of our favourites:
      If you don’t mind a slightly older recording, Herbert von Karajan’s with the Vienna Philharmonic recorded in 1979 is an amazing one.
      ua-cam.com/video/asJf3KmAg08/v-deo.htmlsi=Z3kbx25KNBqizXzX
      Many people recommend Celibidache’s recordings with the Münchner Philharmoniker for both Bruckner’s 5th and 8th. His interpretations are much slower than many others.
      ua-cam.com/video/iOTzCgMxy_o/v-deo.htmlsi=QfenVx7QKThcAK6w
      ua-cam.com/video/elVHvTrEM34/v-deo.htmlsi=SnKfBHg8ZeU-kn9W
      A faster recording of Bruckner 8, and the first recording I personally discovered, Paavo Järvi with the HR Symphony Orchestra in Frankfurt
      ua-cam.com/video/qDkj1t5wF1U/v-deo.htmlsi=-2nARHzk_YJ7xLhT
      And finally, the recording we will use in the next video, Honeck with the WDR Symphony Orchestra. It’s more well rounded in rich tone and balance, as well as a steady tempo.
      ua-cam.com/video/_BFiplRJEMU/v-deo.htmlsi=KnURB1fPAl25Ov37
      Remember to keep in mind, as with most of Bruckner’s works, there exist multiple versions of both symphonies, as he revised them multiple times, so there will be variations between recordings. Hope this helps!

    • @ΚωνσταντίνοςΚοκολογιαννάκης
      @ΚωνσταντίνοςΚοκολογιαννάκης 10 місяців тому

      Thanks a lot!

    • @kaysond
      @kaysond 10 місяців тому

      Agreed. As much as I love Bruckner 4, the ending pales in comparison to 8.

  • @craigbrush5784
    @craigbrush5784 10 місяців тому +10

    Fantastic, thank you. I just subscribed. I'm a bit of a fan of the finale of the Tchaikovsky 5th, the Shostakovich 5th and Saint Saens 3rd

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Thank you so much! Tchaikovsky 5 and Saint-Saens 3 will be in the next video!

    • @hillcresthiker
      @hillcresthiker 10 місяців тому

      All of those symphonies have magnificent triumphant endings

  • @true_west4704
    @true_west4704 10 місяців тому +59

    I’m a bit surprised that Beethoven didn’t make the list. The endings of the 7th and the 9th are pretty spectacular.

    • @utha2665
      @utha2665 10 місяців тому +11

      I was thinking the 9th, personally.

    • @yolhanson
      @yolhanson 10 місяців тому +4

      And the 3rd and 5th. The 5th does hammer you in the ears with those loud chords at the end, but there's no doubt about his sense of drama. The ending of the 3rd is completely unexpected.

    • @dishington
      @dishington 10 місяців тому +14

      Any list omitting Beethoven is highly suspect.

    • @edtsch
      @edtsch 10 місяців тому +7

      @@utha2665 I thought for sure the ending of the 9th would top the list. Very surprised.

    • @AdmBerner
      @AdmBerner 10 місяців тому +6

      I think either the 5th, 7th and 9th are all good choices but the 5th is my personal favorite. How he prolongs the ending just by going back and forth between the dominant and tonic chords with multiple instances where you think that's it but he changes it and keeps going.

  • @musiclady49
    @musiclady49 10 місяців тому +8

    I'm happy that this ends with the Resurrection because it is beyond comparison to ANY orchestral piece ever composed! It surpasses all other music in it's passion, fear, love, compassion and sheer beauty! I wish I had attended the Saratoga-Potsdam Choral Institute in 1971 when this was performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga Springs during their summer season at SPAC. I was only 21 so it wouldn't have hit me then the way it does now but I know I would have connected with it on a deep emotional level just the same. I always tear up at the end without fail! ♥♥♥

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +2

      It is an absolutely amazing piece! I wish I will have the chance to hear it performed live someday... Thanks for watching!

  • @Fangvu
    @Fangvu 10 місяців тому +71

    Finale of Shostakovich's fifth symphony is not a movement. It's a revolution!

    • @hillcresthiker
      @hillcresthiker 10 місяців тому +5

      The shosty 5 is incredible but if you have the patience to sit through his 7th, you will lose your breath and your heart will race like never before

    • @Fangvu
      @Fangvu 10 місяців тому

      @@hillcresthiker I like them both. However, the story in his 5th receives more empathy from me.

    • @joeervin1985
      @joeervin1985 9 місяців тому

      @@Fangvu really? I would think the one written for the people suffering during the siege of Leningrad would be more apt to inspire empathy than 'A Soviet Artist's Reply to Just Criticism'. They're both great symphonies though.

    • @DynastieArtistique
      @DynastieArtistique 8 місяців тому +2

      @@hillcresthikernothing compares to the 4th though

    • @DynastieArtistique
      @DynastieArtistique 8 місяців тому

      @@joeervin1985honestly they’re both dwarfed by the 4th and the 13th in my opinion. 2 of the some of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century

  • @spannagattinara4970
    @spannagattinara4970 10 місяців тому +6

    I have always loved the sheer, unadulterated wildness at the end of Prokofiev’s 5th….

  • @Trinity-Waters
    @Trinity-Waters 10 місяців тому +2

    Great sampling of epic moments in symphonic music. As a fan of symphonic movie scores, this was like a greatest hits album! Thanks for your work.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Thank you for watching! Orchestral symphonic music is the best!

  • @mtheinvincible4156
    @mtheinvincible4156 10 місяців тому +19

    Saint Saens' 3rd is also worth checking out.

  • @vernonsmart
    @vernonsmart 10 місяців тому +43

    The ending of Brahms' 2nd symphony is one of the most glorious in the whole symphonic repertoire and deserved a place on this list.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +4

      While the list to the second video has already been completed, Brahms 2 will be in the third video!

    • @evoandy
      @evoandy 10 місяців тому +5

      I used to be a professional violinist before I had a Stroke and became paralyzed. I got EXTREMELY burned out during college and auditions. Mahler 2 and Strauss’ Alpine Symphony resurrected my love for music.

    • @marksaylor252
      @marksaylor252 4 місяці тому

      That wonderful F major chord by the trombones!

  • @joebg47
    @joebg47 10 місяців тому +14

    The quietness of Vaughan Williams’ ending to his Symphony No. 5 is nothing short of magnificent.

    • @dandiehm8414
      @dandiehm8414 10 місяців тому

      The Vaughan Williams 3rd and 5th are masterpieces.

    • @hillcresthiker
      @hillcresthiker 10 місяців тому +1

      The VW 5th is one of the most lyrical, mystical and beautiful musical compositions ever written and as much as I love it, I could not call its ending triumphant

    • @larenslarens
      @larenslarens 26 днів тому

      Mahlers 9th the same

  • @AnthonyDonnellyTT
    @AnthonyDonnellyTT 9 місяців тому +4

    Excellent list... I've seven more and seven more after that ... Classical music never ceases to give...

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  9 місяців тому +2

      Indeed… that’s what makes the genre so great!

  • @wayneolsen8965
    @wayneolsen8965 5 місяців тому +102

    This would have been much better with less talking

    • @michaeltrower741
      @michaeltrower741 4 місяці тому +10

      As with most anything. Less talking makes life better.

    • @phil2u48
      @phil2u48 4 місяці тому +4

      I had to give up, annoyed….

    • @gottfriedheumesser1994
      @gottfriedheumesser1994 4 місяці тому

      @@michaeltrower741 Except for UA-camrs who talk a lot and lack videos.

    • @rjuttemeijer
      @rjuttemeijer 4 місяці тому

      Exactly!

    • @jluo7193
      @jluo7193 3 місяці тому +3

      All of you should check the description. They uploaded a version without talking 6 months ago

  • @jonaskristoffersen23
    @jonaskristoffersen23 10 місяців тому +1

    Fantastic video guys! Keep at it, looking forward to more classical music education. There's so many to choose from, Jupiter and William Tell are a couple of my faves. Love all of these too, particularly Dvorak 9. 🙌

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Thank you so much! We hope you enjoyed watching just as much as we enjoyed making the video! Dvorak 9 is a really great symphony, isn’t it? Also, our second video on more symphony endings will premiere tomorrow, if you are interested.

  • @Generalissimo_David-B
    @Generalissimo_David-B 10 місяців тому +24

    Finale to Shostakovich's 7 was just, pure victory for me..

    • @FREDGARRISON
      @FREDGARRISON 10 місяців тому +2

      Yeah, me too !!! Thought they would represent it here, but what they chose wasn't all that bad. I always get goose bumps when listening to the ending of the Shostakovich 7th, especially when the opening theme comes back in the brass and that final chord waiting for the symphony to stop.

    • @Gisechan
      @Gisechan 10 місяців тому +5

      Yes, that one is even more epic than the one from the 10th symphony in my opinion.

    • @FREDGARRISON
      @FREDGARRISON 10 місяців тому +1

      YES INDEED !!!

  • @joebg47
    @joebg47 10 місяців тому +3

    Not many codas of RVW are triumphant but the ending of the Fifth with glistening strings and total serenity is in its own way triumphant.

  • @stephenjablonsky1941
    @stephenjablonsky1941 5 місяців тому +9

    Neither the audience or the musicians can breath in the last few minutes of Mahler's 9th. It is a farewell to life.

  • @BritinIsrael
    @BritinIsrael 5 місяців тому

    Thanks for this collection. Two of my very first orchestral concerts that i attended at age 12 ( over 60 yrs ago) were Mahler 2nd followed a week later with Bruckner 4th . Since then of course i have attended many concerts including all the symphonies mentioned here but the experience of hearing a live performance of Mahler 2 at age 12 has left a life long love of this work and i have been fortunate to have heard this work live on 14 other occasions ( so far).

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  5 місяців тому

      Thank you for watching, and we're glad you enjoyed it! You are very lucky to have been able to hear both those amazing symphonies at 12 years old, and within two weeks as well!

  • @fatdoi003
    @fatdoi003 10 місяців тому +24

    Mahler 8 as well... epic

  • @MilikUrdap
    @MilikUrdap 10 місяців тому +5

    Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique's" finale missing here? Never thought that could be possible.
    But I agree with all the picks you put in here eitherway.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Thanks, Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique will be in the third video; saving the best for later ;)

  • @Peter_Kalve
    @Peter_Kalve 10 місяців тому +27

    The end of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 7 - that astonishing resolution of the B natural into C.

    • @haomingli6175
      @haomingli6175 10 місяців тому +1

      the resolution itself is nothing astonishing, what is astonishing about B natural resolving to C in the key of C major? what is atonishing is that B natural itself comes out of no where.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +4

      The way Sibelius builds the tension, it’s absolutely amazing! Another symphony finale to go in our next video!

    • @joeweinberg3108
      @joeweinberg3108 10 місяців тому +1

      @@haomingli6175that’s exactly what’s so impressive about it, is that he manages to make it sound so extraordinarily novel and exciting in the way he orchestrates and contextualizes it

    • @jasonbriggs77
      @jasonbriggs77 9 місяців тому

      Yessss! And the 2nd, or 3rd... I could play the last 15 seconds of each over and over and never lose the nostalgic feeling they leave

  • @olliemartinelli4034
    @olliemartinelli4034 9 місяців тому +4

    I always repeat one of the most poignant musical memories I have is listening to Mahler's 2nd for the first time. I was writing an essay in the library and decided to just try Mahler cus I'd heard of him but never really heard anything by him other than the adagio from the 5th. I put the 2nd on from the beginning and basically wasn't really listening, more focused on writing until the choral section near the end began and I literally just had to stop for a second and contemplate what in the godly shit I was hearing. From that section I was completely spell bound though to the end just sitting in the library trying not to make it obvious I was tearing up.

  • @derPapierschredder
    @derPapierschredder 10 місяців тому

    Thanks for explaining why the pieces are so epiiic! I really wouldn't have gotten it otherwise. Really helpful!

  • @ChrisSmith-yq9pr
    @ChrisSmith-yq9pr 10 місяців тому

    This is not just a video, it is a work of art! Bravo!

  • @janiceconnett3192
    @janiceconnett3192 5 місяців тому +1

    Mahler's Symphony #2 is one of the most intensely stunning pieces ever written. I have had a NDE (Near Death Experience) and this is the best musical interpretation I have ever heard of the phenomenal joy and bliss of my experience. Our Spirit never dies but goes on eternally to live in perpetual creativeness.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  5 місяців тому

      That’s a beautiful way to sum it up, Mahler’s genius and creativity really was unmatched.

  • @adelmogimenez2062
    @adelmogimenez2062 10 місяців тому +1

    I've performed most of these in the past year. Absolutely magnificent symphonies. I hope to play shostakovich 10 soon. I've never heard his 11th, but it shounds amazing!

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Wow, that's amazing! You are very lucky! What instrument do you play?

  • @anthonypassante-contaldi
    @anthonypassante-contaldi 11 місяців тому +6

    Great video! For me, the ending to Brahms 1 is one of the greatest endings in symphonic history.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  11 місяців тому +1

      Thank you! Brahms did write some great ones, thank you for the suggestion as well!

    • @tanyarobinson1146
      @tanyarobinson1146 4 місяці тому

      I still can imagine my conductor leading that one. I am not a visual thinker, but the muscle memory and sound memory is very strong.

  • @westonmarks925
    @westonmarks925 3 місяці тому

    13:54 the visual effects here really help convey the beauty of that progression. Also, as a composer of classical music, I feel that quote from Mahler in my soul.

  • @theasafemoreno
    @theasafemoreno 10 місяців тому

    Thank you so much for remember me how great, and glorious it is these pieces, and give me some motivation to write something here, thanks guys for this incredible work!!

  • @tinplater
    @tinplater 10 місяців тому +1

    My first hearing of Mahler's second was the epic recording by the Utah Symphony on Cardinal records. It became the demo recording for high end audio equipment of the day. It is an ethereal experience.

  • @Hongaars1969
    @Hongaars1969 3 місяці тому +1

    I read the comments and have edited out comment re talking over music. Thank you for letting the music speak for itself. Agree with your assessment.

  • @doctormock1
    @doctormock1 11 місяців тому +28

    It is not technically called a "symphony", but Janacek's Sinfonietta has a killer ending.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  11 місяців тому +3

      Oo cool, I feel like that qualifies! That will be in the next video!

    • @seanoslin5299
      @seanoslin5299 10 місяців тому

      Yes!!!!’n

    • @asym52
      @asym52 10 місяців тому

      Well, technically it IS called a symphony. Sinfonietta. Small symphony.

  • @samuelgendry4917
    @samuelgendry4917 11 місяців тому +13

    I love the transition into Tchaikovskys 4.

  • @robertagregory7177
    @robertagregory7177 10 місяців тому +12

    How can you leave out Saint-Saen’s 3rd symphony? Cymbals, trumpet, percussion and organ full blast?

    • @englishrose47
      @englishrose47 8 місяців тому

      Not forgetting the four hands piano,

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  8 місяців тому

      :)
      ua-cam.com/video/eu-RP2G41_0/v-deo.htmlsi=bnLdaxwEIDckslMq&t=8m9s

  • @gooscomposer
    @gooscomposer 12 днів тому

    Shostakovich's 11th is always played so slowly, recording of Andris Nelsons and Boston Symphony Orchestra really gives this revolutionary confidence and shivers

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  12 днів тому +1

      That’s my favourite recording too! I just wanted to use a video recording for the video.

  • @OrqinusOrca
    @OrqinusOrca 10 місяців тому +2

    Okay but Prokofiev's fifth's ending hit me like a bus the first time I heard it. It had the same effect on me as did The Rite of Spring's final chord- it scared the bejeezus outta me 😂

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +2

      Me too! It's such a different and shocking ending, but epic nonetheless!

  • @ericstromquist9458
    @ericstromquist9458 10 місяців тому

    When I saw the title of this video from this new-to-me channel that I just found in in my UA-cam recommendations, I thought the winner has got to be Mahler’s Second: and there it was! The most amazing thing about that work is for me that the last five minutes gives the illusion of being an impossible, continuous ascent of the musical scale, which it actually cannot be, to a greater and greater crescendo of sound, which is also impossible: yet that’s the impression it gives. The recording I most love and always listen to is the 1980 performance by the Chicago Symphony under Sir Georg Solti. I can't imagine it being improved upon.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Thanks for watching! Mahler 2 really is incredible isn't it? And thanks for the recording suggestion, I will check it out!

  • @ultradmann2367
    @ultradmann2367 10 місяців тому

    The conclusion of Turangalila Symphony has always and WILL always be one of my favorite climaxes to a piece. Just off of the sheer sound of what you hear and the color of what Messiaen puts on display with unusual sounds is amazing to me.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      It's one of my new favorites after researching for the next video!

  • @DerSlashfuhrer
    @DerSlashfuhrer 11 місяців тому +2

    Nice lineup! My personal favorites would also include the finales of Shostakovich's 5th and Kalinnikov's 1st

  • @DuffyTheGander
    @DuffyTheGander 10 місяців тому +3

    NJI've had the great privilege of hearing Sibelius' 7th for the first time ever, live in New York. I was sobbing in the second movement and by the end was so emotionally moved, my best friend at the time asked if i needed to leave. Needless to say i loved it. Bruckner's 4th is also a wonderful piece with a fantastic ending (when not taken too slowly imo) that one can easily be stretched far too long to me. Blomstedt's rendition is one of my favorites

    • @crundaleboy
      @crundaleboy 10 місяців тому

      Sibelius 7th doesn't have a second movement

  • @matthiashartge5520
    @matthiashartge5520 10 місяців тому +1

    You have a similar taste of epicness as I do ^^ Love it!

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Great so see someone else agrees with us! Thanks for watching!

  • @andreapandypetrapan
    @andreapandypetrapan 10 місяців тому +3

    Excellent analysis.
    In the next several videos, perhaps we can have Brahms' 4th Symphony, Bruckner's 9th, Mozart's 41st Symphony (of course) and Britten's Spring Symphony? How about Elgar's 1st and 2nd Symphonies? The English can occasionally write music! Whereas Arnold Bax is Celtic, and his 2nd and 3rd symphonies are astonishing combinations of Mahlerian orchestral complexity and wild Irish Atlantic emotional and spiritual dramas!
    Reading the comments here, I'm sure you would have an audience for life if you devoted a video just to Mahler - his 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
    No doubt your Parisian audience would delight in Honegger (Symphonie Liturgique) and Messiaen (Turangalila).
    Also I wouldn't restrict yourselves to final movements, but instead to any compete component. The closing passages of Brahms' 4th, first movement, for instance, are of supreme formal control and emotional power and complexity.
    Perhaps also symphonic compositions not necessarily in the so-called classical format?
    That way we can consider tone poems (hence Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, Debussy, Ravel, Respighi); ballet scores (Rimsky, Stravinsky, Copeland are obvious and foremost choices); and the scores of great opera.
    After all, parts of Puccini's La Boheme, Manon, Tosca and Turandot, and, of course, hours and hours of Wagner's Ring cycle and Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, are at the absolute pinnacle of writing for full orchestra.
    It is impossible to understand any music written (and indeed any western art form) after the Magician of Bayreuth, without studying his works.
    Film music! Where would contemporary, popular, high art, "film-music-dramas" (Wagner's children so to speak) be without Korngold, Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, Miklós Rózsa, Leonard Bernstein, Goldsmith, Malcolm Arnold, that scandalous borrower John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, Hans Zimmer, etc, etc?
    More thanks and much love,
    Andrea the music fanatic.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Thank you so much, Andrea the music fanatic! These are some excellent choices, and as you said, much of our audience will probably enjoy your suggestions. After this series, perhaps we will remove some more specific limitations, such as the symphonic form, and include endings of a much wider variety of forms. Tone poems are always great! And thank you for reading previous comments before commenting yourself, it does seem that we need to make an entire video just dedicated to Mahler. Messiaen’s Turangalila will be in the next video as well.
      Thank you so much ❤,
      ObsidianMusic

    • @mauricerivermusic9110
      @mauricerivermusic9110 10 місяців тому

      Those trombones to end the Brahms 2nd are hair raising!! And the end of the Schubert 9 is also fantastic!!

    • @BritinIsrael
      @BritinIsrael 5 місяців тому

      Elgar 1..Nielsen 4...Shostakovich 12....Sibelius 2...Rachmaninov 1 ...Mahler 3.....Berlioz Fantastique....Tchaikovsky 5...Vaughan-Williams 4.

    • @andreapandypetrapan
      @andreapandypetrapan 5 місяців тому

      @@BritinIsrael
      Impeccable suggestions, .... except I would politely dissent from Rachmaninov's 1st symphony, which is an embarrassingly student work, brimming with undigested elements of Liszt.
      A fact from standard texts, which was confirmed to my poor tortured ears in the 2023 Proms season, on 18th July. I'm not a nerdy woman with perfect recollection, I just happen to have the ticket stub to hand.
      Whereas Rachmaninov's 3rd symphony is a mistress-piece of sweeping yet taut melodic and instrumental brilliance and haunting Slavic soulfulness.
      Plus Elgar's 2nd symphony is a greater work, and arguably the finest orchestral work written by any British composer, ever when considering Walton and VW and emigrees like Egon Wellesz, and Britten's hybrid works, and Bax - though s/he of course is Gaelic.
      Love andrea

    • @BritinIsrael
      @BritinIsrael 5 місяців тому +1

      @@andreapandypetrapan Thanks for your reply and constructive comments. Yes, Rachmaninov 1st was a student work but should not rule it out as a great composition ( in the same vein as Shostakovich 1st symphony) It received bad criticism at the time because it was conducted by a drunken Glazunov who didn't like Rachmaninov anyway. As for the 3rd symphony i am always left disappointed by the finale which in my eyes has too much ( bad) American influence. You certainly can't rate it at the same level as his 2nd.
      I agree with you concerning both Elgars and Walton's 1st ....all wonderful works too. But the bottom line comes down to personal taste and feelings. I listen a lot more to Rachmaninov 1st and 2nd instead of being let down by his 3rd. But that is MPO.
      I hope you have a pleasant weekend. x

  • @DieFlabbergast
    @DieFlabbergast 10 місяців тому +4

    The finale of Shostakovich's No.11 makes my hair stand on end.

  • @anthonybeckett2789
    @anthonybeckett2789 2 місяці тому +1

    Some excellent choices here. Thanks. However, the epic finale to Sibelius 5 is incredible without the need for a huge orchestra.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  2 місяці тому +1

      Thanks for watching! Sibelius 5 really does have an incredible ending!

  • @dougcargill6730
    @dougcargill6730 11 місяців тому +8

    The Mahler 2nd and the Bruckner 4th are two of my favorite.

  • @djsalad5752
    @djsalad5752 2 місяці тому +3

    2:36 RIP to the cymbal player's forearms

  • @_Chuvisco_
    @_Chuvisco_ 10 місяців тому +1

    Excellent work!... Thank you!

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Thank you for watching and supporting us!

  • @theachievelegend4330
    @theachievelegend4330 10 місяців тому +6

    shostakovich's 11th symphony is a masterpiece beginning to end. listen to it if you haven't. Very worth your time.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      It’s absolutely amazing! In fact it’s been dubbed by many “a film without the pictures”

  • @tannhaeuserx464
    @tannhaeuserx464 9 місяців тому +4

    It is refreshing that you didn't include Beethoven's 9th. Arguably it is the most epic, but it has already won enough glory.

  • @bigg2988
    @bigg2988 10 місяців тому +1

    1:13 For those who like historic trivia like that, the DSCH motif is the "signature" of the composer, read "Dmitri SCHostakovich". He used it in various guises in several of his renowned works.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Indeed! S is German for Eb and H is their B natural. It is similar to the BACH motif, which uses Bb, A, C, B natural. Thanks for sharing!

  • @66zebulon
    @66zebulon 10 місяців тому +2

    The ending of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony should have taken first place on this list. That ending actually makes the de jure ending of the work anticlimactic. The performance by Bernstein and the NYP, parenthetically, is the epitome of everything inspirational about classical music, in my view. A very interesting topic, thanks for posting!

  • @smitrotti
    @smitrotti 2 місяці тому +1

    Excellent selection! Thank you!

  • @drums4metal
    @drums4metal 10 місяців тому +1

    Mahler's 2nd Symphony is a whole journey with the most epic majestic ending.

  • @Maningray1960
    @Maningray1960 4 місяці тому

    When the organ kicks in at the end of Mahler 2, it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

  • @patrickmcisaac3142
    @patrickmcisaac3142 10 місяців тому +4

    I once played the finale to mahlers symphony 2 with nearly 100 low brass (mostly trombone). The video is on yiutube if you search penn state trombone mahler. It may sincerely be the most epic thing ive been a part of

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Whoah, that’s amazing! I play trombone, so I wish I will one day be able to play with nearly as many low brass players!

  • @RenatoDeVuono
    @RenatoDeVuono 8 місяців тому

    Nice video. You could do another one with Richard Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” (for me the best finale ever) and Tchaikovski’s 1812 (the second best finale ever). This two, besides (for me) being the best finales ever (again, my opinion), are one of the most recognizables finales on the whole classical music genre.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  8 місяців тому

      Glad you enjoyed it! Great suggestions! We’ve gotten a lot of other non-symphony finale suggestions, we’ll definitely make a video on them in the future.

    • @RenatoDeVuono
      @RenatoDeVuono 8 місяців тому

      ⁠@@obsidianmusic303ohhhh… now I’m ashamed! 😊 Hookie’s mistake to don’t pay attention that your list was about symphonies… sorry about that. Nonetheless, it will be great to see this new list! Thaks for answer my comment. Great channel, by the way.

    • @RenatoDeVuono
      @RenatoDeVuono 8 місяців тому

      Here again. I need to be honest… I don’t know the difference. 😢 I tried to learn and found this: “Symphony-a piece for, of course, a symphony orchestra. While there are often solo passages for individual sections or players, they remain part of the ensemble rather than featured performers. The classical Symphony typically has four movements as opposed to a Concerto’s usual three.”
      By this definition, both musics that I said I like, are Symphonies. But honestly, I really have no clue what I’m talking about. So, if you could enlighten me, it would be great. If you want to, of course. Thanks. 😊

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  7 місяців тому

      @@RenatoDeVuono Hello again! You are correct that symphonies often have four movements (Usually fast, slow, dance-related such as a minuet or waltz, and faster, although some composers from the Romantic period - 1820s - onwards do break these “rules”). While the suggestions you have mentioned are indeed also written for symphony orchestras, they are pieces in other forms. Strauss’s “Also sprach Zarathustra” is a tone (or symphonic) poem, which is a piece that is written in one continuous movement (there are no breaks in the music, unlike between a symphony’s movements), although can be divided into several sections. Other tone poems include Richard Strauss’s “Eine Alpensinfonie” or “An Alpine Symphony”, which despite labelled a symphony by the composer, follows the form of a tone poem; Isle of the Dead by Rachmaninoff; Night on the Bare Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition, both by Modest Mussorgsky; and Danse macabre by Saint-Saëns.
      Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, or “The Year 1812, Solemn Overture” is a concert overture. This form changed drastically over time, but is essentially a standalone piece in one continuous movement, similar to the tone poem. In fact, the tone poem evolved from the concert overture in the late Romantic period. The tone poem became the preferred form for some more progressive composers, such as Saint-Saëns and Richard Strauss, while more conservative composers, including Tchaikovsky and Brahms still wrote concert overtures. Other famous concert overtures include A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn (which is generally regarded as the first piece in this form); Romeo and Juliet by Tchaikovsky; Academic Festival Overture by Brahms and Festive Overture by Shostakovich.
      If you want to learn more, the wikipedia articles on these forms are a great starting point!
      en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overture (the concert overture section)
      en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonic_poem
      Also, sorry for the late reply, I hope this helps, and again, great suggestions, they are some of the best in each of their forms!

    • @RenatoDeVuono
      @RenatoDeVuono 7 місяців тому

      @@obsidianmusic303 Oh boym what Master Class! Thank you SO MUCH. Most of content creators woudn´t even bother to answer or the would try to make me feel stupid or something to make them feel better about them selves. Now I´ve learned a new thing about a subject that I love. Thank you again. You now have a new subscriber and a new admirer! Bless you.

  • @jeremiahlyleseditor437
    @jeremiahlyleseditor437 10 місяців тому

    Those were quite good.
    Mahler using all those diminished chords was invigorating, inspiring.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      They make the climax even more amazing! Thanks for watching.

  • @edwinmorillo5873
    @edwinmorillo5873 10 місяців тому +2

    Loved this video, editing, narrators, music, everything ❤️

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Wow, thank you so much! We are making another one of these videos, hope you are looking forward to it as much as we are! ❤

  • @adolfosantosart
    @adolfosantosart 10 місяців тому

    In tears. So glorious. Joyful! Soul stirring.

  • @geoffashden2
    @geoffashden2 10 місяців тому +7

    Sorry but Mahlers 8th Symphony's finale tops everything!

  • @will_c294
    @will_c294 10 місяців тому

    I've played violin for the past 20 years of my life (I am 26). This was a certified sob-fest. Some of the greatest 15 minutes of my life, and now I have hours more of music to listen to. Thank you.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Thank you so much! We are so lucky to have this great music in our lives.

  • @1ramises
    @1ramises Місяць тому

    Thank you for putting tchaikovsky 's 4 th in I think that ending is the best of all also a shame you didn't add Beethoven 5 th end that's epic 😊

  • @thomasvendetti3742
    @thomasvendetti3742 9 місяців тому

    So many treasured finales. Let’s not forget the grand fugues employed in Mozart 41 and Bruckner 5.

  • @alexnobrasil3062
    @alexnobrasil3062 10 місяців тому

    4:26 I've always loved this bit in Dvorak's 9th. If memory serves me right it's a DM7b5-Dm7b5 transition over a pedal of E. Such a great variation of the main theme with just the right amount of tension!

  • @Quotenwagnerianer
    @Quotenwagnerianer 11 місяців тому +8

    This is really a tough one, because there are so many symphonies in the repertoire, and so many great things to discover.
    Some quiet endings are great, some raucus endings are great.
    Let me think of a few that come to mind on the top of my head. I'm sure on another day I would come up with different ones, I know so many:
    Haydn: No. 104
    Just a great bookend to his gigantic symphonic body of work. The entire finale is just so much fun.
    Beethoven: No. 7
    If that one doesn't send you dancing off into the night, then something is either wrong with the performance or you.
    Schubert: Great C Major (however you want to Number it. 8 is probably correct, 7 if you only count the finished ones).
    The Coda has to be one of the greatest things ever.
    Berlioz: Symphony fantastique
    The composer never reached that kind of intensity again.
    Schumann: No. 2
    What a triumph after all that turmoil saying: "Music saved my life".
    Mahler: No. 6
    Staring down the abyss in total defeat.
    Stanford: No. 5
    A perfect illustration of the text that inspired it: "There let the pealing organ blow [...] dissolve me into exctasies and bring all Heaven before mine eyes."
    Gliere: No. 3
    Another illustrative piece that ends with the hero of the story being petrified and his life flashing before his eyes until he finally is completely stone, unable to move just as at the start of the Symphony. And so the music recaps all movements over an organ point that symbolizes the petrification and ends with the music that opened the symphony.
    Bruckner: No. 5
    The Finale itself is a tough nut to crack, but the Coda, if done right, just soars with an exctasy that Bruckner never reached again.
    Saint-Saens: No. 3
    Quite literally pulling out all the stops.
    That's 10 for starters and one as a bonus:
    The Shostakovich ones you picked would also have been my picks, but I will add No. 4 as an example of false triumph ending in nothing but doubt and fear.

    • @ulysse__
      @ulysse__ 11 місяців тому +2

      Woah, amazing set of recommendations there. I'll try them out and come back here when I'm done! (within 3-300 business days)

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  11 місяців тому +3

      Impressive suggestions! We will include these in the next video. Thank you for your contribution! Organ symphony and pulling out all the stops 😂
      And @ulysse_ hopefully the next video won’t take quite as long as 300 business days…

    • @musiclady49
      @musiclady49 10 місяців тому

      @@ulysse__ 😂

    • @counterfit5
      @counterfit5 10 місяців тому +1

      Symphonie Fantastique has such an epic tuba part at the end

  • @shantihealer
    @shantihealer 10 місяців тому +1

    The Bruckner 4 ending does something unique - it builds to a terrific, grand climax while for much of the time retaining a hushed, mystical ambience.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Indeed, I've never heard anything else like it!

    • @denebutube
      @denebutube 10 місяців тому

      The selected reading of the Bruckner 4 seems weak

    • @shantihealer
      @shantihealer 10 місяців тому

      @@denebutube Possibly, but there are limited options for video performances. Generally I would recommend Jochum, particularly with the Statskapelle Dresden.

  • @adude394
    @adude394 3 місяці тому +1

    Yes, a very subjective list, but also an excellent one! As many of my fellow commenters have said, that Mahler 2 ending is simply on another level, and to me it represents one of the greatest achievements in symphonic writing in the entire repertoire. If I'm permitted to add my own preferences, the finale of Saint-Saëns 3 is another great one, as are the finales of Brahms 1 and 4 and Schumann 2 and 3 and Dvořák 8. And of course, Beethoven 9.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  3 місяці тому +2

      Thank you for watching, and I’m glad you agreed with our list!
      Of course you can add your own preferences (they are some great choices), and in fact, we’ve already included most of them in our second video!
      Beethoven 9:
      ua-cam.com/video/eu-RP2G41_0/v-deo.htmlsi=-ps81P9YA_OcqTHp&t=1m16s
      Brahms 1:
      ua-cam.com/video/eu-RP2G41_0/v-deo.htmlsi=-ps81P9YA_OcqTHp&t=3m22s
      Saint-Saëns 3:
      ua-cam.com/video/eu-RP2G41_0/v-deo.htmlsi=-ps81P9YA_OcqTHp&t=8m9s
      Schumann 2:
      ua-cam.com/video/eu-RP2G41_0/v-deo.htmlsi=-ps81P9YA_OcqTHp&t=11m50s

    • @adude394
      @adude394 3 місяці тому

      @@obsidianmusic303 Awesome! Glad that this worked out, and thanks for the reply!

  • @RollaArtis
    @RollaArtis 10 місяців тому +2

    I just love the silent finish of Schubert's eighth symphony..

  • @Purpleninja7707
    @Purpleninja7707 10 місяців тому +5

    Dvorak's 9th is spectacular!

  • @alanbarnett6993
    @alanbarnett6993 11 місяців тому +6

    All your choices are loud, grand, and bombastic. That's not the only way to end a symphony. Two symphonies with equally great, but very different, endings are Mozart's Jupiter symphony and Vaughan Williams's 5th. The Mozart ends in a coda in which 5 themes from movement are played on top of each other in an amazing display of mastery of counterpoint. The Vaughan Williams ends in a coda that has a paradoxical feeling of ecstatic calm, the complete antithesis of the loud and bombastic endings in this video.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  11 місяців тому +1

      Great choices, I agree this is an oversight that we didn’t include the full spectrum of symphony endings. We will definitely include more calm endings in the next video!

    • @michaelmedlinger6399
      @michaelmedlinger6399 10 місяців тому

      Shostakovich 8!

    • @rexz3409
      @rexz3409 10 місяців тому

      Yeah, and then to have the audacity to call it the “greatest symphony endings in classical music history”, gimme a break.

    • @haomingli6175
      @haomingli6175 10 місяців тому

      the most unusual ending could be sibelius 4. it is neither a bang nor a whimper, but a mezzoforte on repeated notes/chords marked dolce.

    • @andre_p
      @andre_p 10 місяців тому

      Not the only way to end a symphony, but your examples not what I would call ‘epic’ - which is what this video is about. The Mozart is exultant, the VW cathartic. But not epic. Epic refers to a long, grand, rousing story. IMO the symphonies that qualify as having an epic ending must have these qualities of length, grandeur and final triumph.

  • @AAK1954
    @AAK1954 10 місяців тому +6

    May I suggest one more? There is (or was) not a very famous composer called Beethoven, who wrote not a very famous symphony called "Coral" (his ninth symphony) that could have occupied a modest place on this "very personal youtuber selection" . Plus Schubert's "The Great", Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, etc. Anyway, a nice try. Thanks. Adrian K. (69) Argentina.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Haha, I’ve never heard of this “Beethoven” before, nor his “Coral” symphony!
      But in all seriousness, Beethoven 9, Schumann 2 and Brahms 1 will be in the next video!

    • @AAK1954
      @AAK1954 10 місяців тому

      Best regards.@@obsidianmusic303

    • @paulerickson5804
      @paulerickson5804 10 місяців тому +1

      I was surprised that Beethoven 9th was missing also. But I figured, of course, that's the symphony that DEFINES "epic." It holds a special place in the pantheon.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      @@paulerickson5804 Yes, it is the father symphony 😊. Oh wait that’s Haydn…

  • @technik-lexikon
    @technik-lexikon 6 місяців тому +1

    As a Shostakovich fan it's of course cool to have two of his works on this list. But let's also mention his mind-blowing, otherworldly "anticlimactic" endigs like in th 4th, 8th, 13th or 15th symphonies. A completely diferent level of epicness...

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  6 місяців тому

      @@technik-lexikon Definitely, each of Shostakovich’s symphonies carries such deep meaning, all of the symphonies you have listed are just as amazing as his other grand endings. I think we’ll have to make a completely seperate video about his life and all of his symphonies!

  • @jonathannavarroespino755
    @jonathannavarroespino755 10 місяців тому +1

    Nothing but Mahler's 2!!!! Everytime I listen this symphony I cry at the end...is just epic!!! Like being with god!!!

  • @callumella8812
    @callumella8812 10 місяців тому +1

    i would like to point out that for shost 10 the timpanist has a beat and a half to retune the high timp while playing the low timp, it is an insane work

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      That is insanely hard, and you also have to get it as in tune as possible. I’ve played timpani before but never anything that sounds that hard! Thanks for pointing that out.

  • @evoandy
    @evoandy 10 місяців тому

    The only time I performed Prokofiev 5 it was after I had been runner up for a concertmaster audition for the orchestra I played with. The concertmaster ended up pulling out of the concert due to illness so I was invited to fill in for her. We had a very young and energetic conductor and I almost code browned when we got to the concert and he took it at least 30 clicks faster than in rehearsal. My tux was DRENCHED in sweat afterward. It was actually kind of gross. Anyway, Mahler 5 has my favorite symphonic finale.

    • @counterfit5
      @counterfit5 10 місяців тому +1

      I was nice and dry the time I played Prokofiev 5, because the 2nd trombone plays the least of all the brass😒

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      @@counterfit5 I wish 2nd trombone got more brass parts to play in other pieces…

  • @sebastienriviere7371
    @sebastienriviere7371 10 місяців тому +2

    Hard to select only 7 symphony endings. I quite love the selection here but my personal favorites are (in no particular order) :
    Beethoven's 9 (ok not very original)
    Mahler's 8 (although the ending of the second one is spectacular as well)
    Saint-Saens' 3 (my God, the mix between the orchestra and the organ)
    Scriabin's 1 (no as well-known as the others but what an incredible ending)

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for acknowledging how hard it is to choose! Thanks for the suggestions, Beethoven 9, Mahler 8 and Saint-Saens 3 are already in the next video here: ua-cam.com/video/eu-RP2G41_0/v-deo.htmlsi=OYmLfgxVGvuSNuLs
      Also, I’ll definitely check out Sciabin’s 1st!
      Thanks for watching!

  • @josevanderleigutierrezcond5861
    @josevanderleigutierrezcond5861 10 місяців тому

    It's a need to have the second part of this compilation of the best symphonies

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Of course! It is already in the making, stay tuned!

  • @sivadepilif
    @sivadepilif 10 місяців тому +10

    I miss the end of the Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +2

      That’s a great one, it will be in the third video!

    • @Boccaccio1811
      @Boccaccio1811 10 місяців тому +1

      If you consider Berlioz's "Harold in Italy" a symphony, that has a wild ending too. It's like purposely over the top and insane... and I love it

  • @marc4143
    @marc4143 10 місяців тому +1

    Great video!, I have to say I prefer Tchaikovsky 4 without the final cymbal, but this conductor's interpretation is still nice.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Yes, in some versions, it’s just a triangle strike! Thanks for watching!

    • @FisDurJeff
      @FisDurJeff 10 місяців тому

      The cymbal crash is not written, but many conductors like to add it. Some view its absence as a typo by an early copyist.

  • @IvorPresents
    @IvorPresents 10 місяців тому

    Excellent well done, beautifully illustrated, A word about conductor, Orchestra and hall might be titled as well. Very impressed although I would offer my own examples as favorites, Mozart's 41st, Brhams 1st, of course Beethovans 9th. to name some basics.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Thank you, and thanks for your feedback. We will probably add the conductor and orchestra in the introduction of each piece on screen. And Brahms 1 and Beethoven 9 will be in the next video!

    • @mauricerivermusic9110
      @mauricerivermusic9110 10 місяців тому +1

      I wish someone would do that with this posting. I recognized the hr orchestra in Frankfurt (my favorite), and I've seen the wonderful Mahler 2 conductor but have forgotten her name. And speaking of Mahler 2, there is nothing at all like singing in the massive chorus for a performance in a massive cathedral, which I did many years ago in Newark, NJ. Amazing!!

  • @ouwebrood497
    @ouwebrood497 10 місяців тому

    Good selection!

  • @jimslancio
    @jimslancio 10 місяців тому

    4:50 Dvorak 9 ends with a quiet, sustained woodwind chord. I once, on the way out from a performance, realized why he wrote it that way.
    At that time, Wagner's music was in the air, and Dvorak's music shows onfluences. The New World finale is a tip of the hat to the quiet, sustained chord at the very end of Goetterdaemmerung.

  • @ofiterpunte
    @ofiterpunte 10 місяців тому +5

    I'd add:
    - Respighi : Pines of Rome
    - Tchaikovsky 5th: entire fourth movement. Seriously, how was THIS not on your list?!
    - Bruckner Te Deum: Cheating a bit but so was Mahler with his choirs.
    - Bruckner 8th: the small pause before the final climax has been called "the antichamber of God" for a reason.
    - Bruckner 5th: The final choral... goosebumps.
    - Dvorak 7: search for Myung-whun Chung's 2007 live recording
    - Schubert's 9th: It's not call "The Great" for nothing.
    - Brahms 4th: the entire fourth movement.

    • @denebutube
      @denebutube 10 місяців тому +1

      Agree on the Tchaik 5, how can it NOT be here?

  • @crustyoranges
    @crustyoranges 11 місяців тому +5

    Ooooooo I’ve never heard the end of Tchaikovsky 4 with the accelerando. Very cool.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  11 місяців тому

      It wasn’t the first recording we considered, so we were surprised when we first listen to this one, as it was the only one with an accelerando. It is indeed a cool interpretation! Thank you for watching!

    • @chrismoule7242
      @chrismoule7242 10 місяців тому

      Interestingly, the accelerando is not written in the score, it's an interpretation.

    • @gerbs139
      @gerbs139 10 місяців тому

      It’s an interpretation just as adding cymbals and bass drum to the final measure is an interpretation. Neither was requested by the composer.

  • @philliplipple1799
    @philliplipple1799 10 місяців тому

    Enjoyable. Good selection.

  • @EnlightenedByKnowledge
    @EnlightenedByKnowledge 10 місяців тому

    I'd say the finale to Stravinsky's "Firebird" is epic. Perhaps a future list video will provide it.

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +1

      Definitely, although not a symphony it is one of the greatest endings in classical music. It will definitely be in a future video!

  • @johntrayner6036
    @johntrayner6036 10 місяців тому +1

    I tend to split musical endings into two groups. Those like Beethoven 9 and Mahler 2 to which the audience reaction is to roar its acclamation. Then you have something like Tchaikovsky 6 which ends quietly and hopefully the entire audience is still and silent. It is spine chilling to have 2,000 people not making a sound until the conductor lowers the baton.

    • @BritinIsrael
      @BritinIsrael 5 місяців тому

      Yes and the ending of Mahler 9. I saw this live with the Czech Phil conducted by Simon Rattle about 18 months ago in Prague. There was total silence for about 30 seconds . That's a long time for audience reaction.

  • @obsidianmusic303
    @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому +4

    Before anyone comments "stop talking over the music", we have a version without the voiceover here!
    ua-cam.com/video/QsKYqLEJbnE/v-deo.htmlsi=UPrJyiW3VcuUUdjn

    • @ragmanv420
      @ragmanv420 10 місяців тому +1

      I would highly suggest that you write this in the description (if possible)

  • @Stenddo
    @Stenddo 10 місяців тому

    Dvořák's serenade for strings finale has to be one of my favorites

  • @proxima_centauri457
    @proxima_centauri457 10 місяців тому +2

    My favorite is definitely Shostakovich Symphony 7

    • @obsidianmusic303
      @obsidianmusic303  10 місяців тому

      Ooh the Leningrad Symphony is amazing; great choice! It will feature in the third video.