Great Symphonic Finales.

[John H White]

Yesterday, I was listening to my CPO Cd of Louise Farrenc's 1st and 3rd symphonies. The finale of No 1 never fails to give me a sort of tingling down my spine so I would nominate it as certainly one of the greatest symphonic finales, at least amongst the "unsungs". Which symphonic finale would other Forum members choose?

[Ilja]

Hm, probably Foerster's Fourth for sheer spectacle, or Atterberg's Third because of all the barely restrained exuberance.

[febnyc]

Well, I assume the word "unsung" is implied in the question.  In that case I would choose the final movement of Joly Braga Santos' Fourth Symphony.

(If the choice can go beyond unsung works - Mahler's Second.)

[eschiss1]

I'd want to compile a list though not a long one. Furtwängler 2 and Stenhammar G minor (I refuse to call it no.2- I'll call no.1 F major if it comes to that) for sheer ecstatic "wow!"... (and maybe Rubbra 1 in there too, sonata/coda-fugue ... or something. The form isn't obvious.) Maybe Wellesz 2, Boughton 2. (Of symphonies I've played often in the last few months according to iTunes I could include Hermann 2 also . Some others I've played often are either not unsung or their finales are maybe a little bit weaker than I'd like- my reluctant judgment on Moeran's symphony which I do adore.)
Eric

[chill319]

I find the last movement of Glazunov 5 effective and energizing.

[Alan Howe]

Draeseke 3: for its forward-looking sonorities and the sense of coming full-circle.
For irresistible build-up and power: Röntgen 3.
(Sung: Schubert 9: try Mackerras on Signum Classics!!)

[John H White]

But Alan, if comes to "sung" finales, surely it has to be Beethoven's 9th, if you'll forgive the pun.

[Alan Howe]

Quite, John. I was merely flagging up Mackerras' fabulously propulsive recording of S9...

[Crescendo]

For me definitely Casella 2. Can't play it loud enough!
Dopper 7 has some irresistible charm in the finale as well though i wish the movement had been better developed.

[jerfilm]

Again, Alfred Hill's Symphony #2 - The Joy of Life.

And the not so unsung, Mahler 8 - a performance years ago in Northrup Auditoreum on the University of Minnesota campus with the monster pipe organ and what was then the Minneapolis Symphony.

[mbhaub]

For me, the finale of Tchaikovsky's generally unsung 3rd symphony is just thrilling. That long pedal point at the coda just screws the tension up higher and higher that you just pray that the conductor doesn't make a mess of it -- and they usually do. Rowicki got it exactly right, so did Svetlanov.

[chill319]

eschiss1, your posting sent me on a hunt for Hermann's Symphony 2, of which I was not aware. Found the 1973 score, but recorded performances are slipperier. Could you point to a source, please?

[eschiss1]

eschiss1, your posting sent me on a hunt for Hermann's Symphony 2, of which I was not aware. Found the 1973 score, but recorded performances are slipperier. Could you point to a source, please?

Robert Hermann's symphony no.2 in B minor of 1905 (if we're talking about the same Hermann) was recently recorded along with his symphony no.1 in C from 10 years earlier on an imho really good Sterling CD.  There have been 2 discussions of it here: fairly recently and less so. Is the 1973 score of the same work (4 movements, Allegro-Andante-Allegretto-Allegro ?)
Eric

[chill319]

The 1973 score is a work by Bernard Hermann (an early advocate for both Raff and Ives) entitled 'Symphony'-- therefore, either his Symphony 2 or a revision of his 1941 Symphony 1, an old favorite of mine.  If it is a second symphony, it appears to be unaccountably unrecorded . Meanwhile, I shall have to get to know Robert Hermann! Thanks for the feedback.

[eschiss1]

The 1973 score is a work by Bernard Hermann (an early advocate for both Raff and Ives) entitled 'Symphony'-- therefore, either his Symphony 2 or a revision of his 1941 Symphony 1, an old favorite of mine.  If it is a second symphony, it appears to be unaccountably unrecorded . Meanwhile, I shall have to get to know Robert Hermann! Thanks for the feedback.

Bernard Herrmann. Now I see the problem... I was speaking of Robert Hermann (one r in surname), 1869-1912. I was wondering how it came about that his 2nd symphony was published in 1973. I didn't know that Bernard Herrmann wrote a 2nd symphony, true... of the several composers famous for their one symphony, Moeran's 2nd was unfinished (fragments have been published in an article in, if I remember, the Musical Times, years back; it looked intriguing) for instance...