Posted by Mike the Man on June 20, 19102 at 20:40:08:

In Reply to: Re: Disagree About the Finale posted by Warren Malach on June 20, 19102 at 14:23:08:

It's refereshing to read (especially around here) such an open mind concerning one's taste; rather than dogmatically stating something about the 6th finale, you state your matter of taste. Which demonstrates your excellent taste.

You aren't the only one to take some exception to the finale of the 7th; others, including some ligh level critics, have as well. In contrast, I find it, as the case is with the 6th, perfectly logical. From the standpoint of symphonic archetecture, it makes perfect sense. Of course, we must be aware of what the composer was about here; Bruckner, arguably the preeminent master of the crowning finale (a point Simpson makes very well in his book), consciously chose a Haydnesque find of last movement. Well, at least in character. It still has enough weight, at least in my opinion, to carry the dramatic weight of the whole piece.

Speaking of grossly diappoiting finales, I must mention Shostakovich, who in several works, builds up an enormous head of tragic/dramatic steam, only to completely ignore it in the finale, leaving such an unsatified feeling. For example, the finales of the 6th and 10th.

In the past, when music listeners where of finer character and greater personal integrity (not to mention better cultural education), the completion of incomplete works was considered to be either futile foolishness or sheer exploitation, and a matter of extremely poor taste in any case.

Like you, I welcome the opportunity to hear completions, if they honor the composer and don't masquerade as something equal to the composer's own work. Hence, the completion of the Mahler 10th is welcome, particularly since he left such a decent corpus from which to work. Taking on a Pluto movement to the Holst Planets, as has been recently done, is another matter all together.

The Bruckner 9th, as you imply, may be a doomed enterprise. We must keep in mind that he spent years trying to come up with good material, and failed. Sure, he became very ill during the last of those last years, but early on he was still capable and of firm mind. What seems to have happened is that the creative gift may simply have left him. Not for nothing did Verdi and Brahms simply stop composing after a certain point.

What do you think of the Te Deum as a finale for the 9th?

Follow Ups:

• Re: Finales, Complete and Incomplete Warren Malach 09:29:34 6/21/102 (1)
  • Finales, Good or Bad? John Rasmussen 09:50:08 9/04/102 (0)

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