Most exciting musical climax?

[Spatula]

Which piece in your mind offers the most exciting and exilerating feel and rush in a piano piece?

I think the Shostakovich Piano Concerto Nr 1, 4 movement is really heart pounding to listen too, especially with the trumpet going off...wowsers.

[Nightscape]

I can think of a few off the top of my head.


Ravel:  climax of "Ondine" (exhilarating climax followed by a very beautiful melody)

Rachmaninoff:  climax of 3rd movement of 3rd piano concerto (with the piano, strings, and horns near the end of the movement)

Scriabin:  the climax near the end of the 5th piano sonata

also Scriabin:  The climax near the end of "Prometheus" (kind of a piano concerto)

and Liszt:  Climax in the middle part of his Sonata in B minor

[fnork]

Rachmaninoff: The end of the first movement in the 4th piano concerto, where the introductionary theme is played by violins, accompanied by piano. Sure, not his best piano concerto, but I love that climax...

[klavierkonzerte]

first movment of barber violin concerto
first movment of brahms violin concerto
first movment of rach 2nd
the end of the first movments of elgar and sibelius violin concertos
and the climax of the third movment of shostakovich first violin concerto is one of the greatest moments in classical music, it's beatiful to the point of destruction just listen to it once you'd drown in your tears.

[fnork]

speaking of shostakovich, I just heard his piano concerto. The second is amazing, all the way. The whole second movement is pure magic.

[Spatula]

Yeah I like his 2nd PC too, sounds very modern but has very good classical qualities as well.

[liszmaninopin]

There are so many, these are all excellent ones.

The climax of the first and third movements of Rach's first sonata
The cadenza of Rach's third concerto
The finale of Rach's Second Sonata
The finale of Prokofiev's Seventh Sonata
The climax of Prokofiev's toccata.
The climax of the first mvt. of Prok's second concerto
The climax of the fourth movement of Barber's Sonata
Violette Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Sonatas
Ligeti Autumn in Warsaw, L'escalier du diable
The Climax of Ravel's Ondine and of Scarbo
The toccata from Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin
Scriabin's Black Mass Sonata
Scriabin's etudes op. 8 #12 and op. 42 #5
The first mvt. of Feinberg's Eighth Sonata
Berg Sonata

There is so much, I don't know where to stop.

[Spatula]

This next post is quite the opposite of the theme, but have any of you heard the "Fanfarinette" by Rameau?  It's a short one minute piece and is very light and colourful.

It is the starting theme for CBC radio two's disc drive selection of classical music.

I want to see if I can get a recording and some sheet music for this one in piano arrangement.  It'd be a nice little study to go along with heavy bass repertoire, quite the opposite in many ways.

[sharon_f]

The ending of the last movement of the Tchaikovsky B-flat minor always gets to me.
The last movement of the Prokofiev 3rd piano concerto.
One of my favorite moments is at the end of the 3rd movement of the Saint-Saens 1st piano concerto, where the opening theme from the first movement returns. Absolutely thrilling.

[Daevren]

I think Scriabins 5th sonata is a very good example of a classical climax/ending.

[maxy]

Rach 1 first mvt cadenza  (yes I find it is more exciting than the Rach3 cadenza)
Beethoven op 57 first mvt
Liszt: Mephisto waltz...    and so many other pieces... but Mephisto waltz is special
Nutcracker arranged by Pletnev: the final

I also agree with most previous posters.

[chromatickler]

central climax of Alkan's 39/7 and the end as well.

[donjuan]

The end of Liszt's Les Preludes, Piano Concerto No.2, and the Donjuan Fantasy.

also, the finale of Busoni's transcription of Bach's D minor Chaconne is electrifying!

[presto agitato]

The ending of Liszt´s Hungarian Rhapsody num 12 

[pseudopianist]

Liszt - Sonata in B minor | The Andante Sostenuto part when all the chords come and build up this huge climax. DAMN

Chopin - Ballade in G minor | Near the ending... *shivers*

Chopin - Prelude in D flat | During the C# minor section when it beginns to calm down and those hearttearing chords enter.

[cziffra777]

Beethoven - Op. 111 - near the end of the Arietta.