This symphony is profoundly fascinating to me in how he plays with A flat major and D minor (and major), two keys whose relationship could not be any further apart. Yet in the first movement, we get the final A flat chord ultimately prepared by a G7 chord in second inversion (the bass note happening to be D). The second movement goes straight into the slow, third movement with no cadence at all, just sharing a common tone (F sharp). This third movement is a little closer to some sort of finality, but with a plagal cadence, from G major to D major. It's only with the conclusion of the final movement that we hear (punctuated by a hammer stroke on timpani) a strong final cadence.
![[Eng Sub] Piano Practice #195 Full Ver. / Pathétique 3rd Movement, etc (10 Aug 2024)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4qr1ws3d9ts/mqdefault.jpg)
the noble introduction to the first movement of E.W. Elgar’s first symphony plucks the strings of my heart 💜
Truly a masterpiece. Playing it this week in Barcelona.
This symphony is profoundly fascinating to me in how he plays with A flat major and D minor (and major), two keys whose relationship could not be any further apart. Yet in the first movement, we get the final A flat chord ultimately prepared by a G7 chord in second inversion (the bass note happening to be D). The second movement goes straight into the slow, third movement with no cadence at all, just sharing a common tone (F sharp). This third movement is a little closer to some sort of finality, but with a plagal cadence, from G major to D major. It's only with the conclusion of the final movement that we hear (punctuated by a hammer stroke on timpani) a strong final cadence.
Wonderful!