Most Dramatic Endings

[ziddy6]

Alright. I would love to know some dramatic endings to Romantic era/Impressionism music. I already have heard Mahler's symphonies and watched this video:

I would like to hear some more.

[gn622]

Ending of Chopin's third scherzo is amazing , 6:30 in this video

[nanabush]

The ending of the last Rach Etude (Op.39 #9).

Beethoven's Appassionata; I love the coda of the third movement, he just 'kicks' it up a notch.

Chopin's Preludes... the end of the D minor, wow.  24 Preludes, and this booming low D just rattles the earth. 

Debussy L'Isle Joyeuse.  He returns to the B theme at the coda, and just creates these incredible tensions, and just explodes with the last couple of measures.

Ravel, any piece really... Ondine is scary how amazing the ending is (from the really quiet d minor recap of the melody all the way through the cascading ending).

[patrickd]

Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition has a dramatic ending.

Also the fugue in Brahms's Handel Variations is also dramatic.

[theholygideons]

I find the ending of the 1st movement of Max Reger's piano concerto very dramatic, although the whole first movement is quite colossal.

Also, the cadenza to proofiev concerto no.2 followed by the return of the orchestra is BEAST. But that's branching into the 20th century era.

[lisztmusicfan]

My favorite finale of any piece has to come from Shostakovich's Fifth symphony. Really, I like the whole thing but the ending is just awesome with a resolution from d minor to d major and it sends chills through my spine at how amazing it is.

I also quite like the ending of Chopins 2nd Ballade. Its not the bone rattling ending that you might be looking for, but it is just so beautiful one has to love it.

I also agree with patrickd about the ending of Pictures at an Exhibition. The orchestrated version is in my opinion more brilliant and grand than the piano version, but that is just me.

Hope you can find what your looking for I am also a huge fan of brilliant endings!

[j_menz]

Surely:

[lostinidlewonder]

CANNONS!!!! KABOOOOOOM!!!!!!

[j_menz]

CANNONS!!!! KABOOOOOOM!!!!!!

LOL - If we're heading in that direction, the clear winner has to be  Daniel Auber's opera La Muette de Portici, one performance of which actually led to the Belgian Revolution in 1830. Now that's an ending.

[albumblatter]

Amy Beach's Piano concerto.

[lostinidlewonder]

LOL - If we're heading in that direction, the clear winner has to be  Daniel Auber's opera La Muette de Portici, one performance of which actually led to the Belgian Revolution in 1830. Now that's an ending.

Rofl. Hopefully no future performances cause such an ending again lol. Would be funny to see on the score at the end the direction: "Begin Revolution"

[patrickd]

The final movement to Alkan's Grande Sonata also has a dramatic ending.

Though the same can be said for just about all his large scale works.

[stoudemirestat]

[pjaul]

The word 'dramatic' initially made me think of the countless pieces with booming, fortissimo endings.  But in my opinion it's the unexpectedly quiet endings that really shake a listener.

For example, in Liszt's b minor sonata, he totally could have prepared a tremendous, fortissimo, presto conclusion but instead ends the piece pianississimo and lento assai.  Now that's drama.

Also, the end of El Corpus en Sevilla from Iberia Book I by Albeniz has a fortissimo climax but ends with a gentle coda.  The coda says more than giant chords and huge dynamics ever could.

[blazekenny]

In my opinion, the ending of Liszt sonata is dramatic because the previous 25 minutes were leading to one big octave climax. In the quiet part you still remember how awesome it was.

Some of the most dramatic endings are Beethoven sonata 31/3 E flat major 4th movement; 1st and 4th Chopin ballades, Chopin Barcarolle, Tchaik 1st concerto, Liszt Tarantella, Liszt Orage, Grande polonaise brillante E flat for sure !

[hellsing6661]

Most dramatic endings? Definitely Chopin's Ballads and Scherzi. Ending of Third Rachmaninov concerto is also stunning.

For me - ending of Alkans Sonata op 33 is too long to be dramatic, it should be much more concise, then effect would be just enormous.

[quantum]

The ending to Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.  The whole opera has you gearing up, getting more and more immersed in the story...then that last aria hits you in the face. 

The Liszt B minor, as said above. 

[prestoconfuocco]

The ending of Rach prelude op. 23 no. 7 (When playd with a full Fortissimo).

[rachmaninoff_forever]

La Campanella!!!

Appassionata!!!  Beethoven is Romantic...

Totentanz!!!

Waldstein!!!

Hammerklavier!!!

Prokofiev 2!!!

Prokofiev 3!!!

All the rach concertos!!!

[prestoconfuocco]

Another great one I forgot is Prokofiev etude op. 2 no. 1.

[perprocrastinate]

Bach-Busoni Chaconne in D minor

Rachmaninoff Sonata No. 1 in D minor