Posted by John Rasmussen on September 04, 19102 at 09:50:08:

In Reply to: Re: Finales, Complete and Incomplete posted by Warren Malach on June 21, 19102 at 09:29:34:

Far be it from us lesser mortals to judge finales except on their own terms!

I personally feel that AB's Sixth Symphony finale is just right. Especially impressive is the way that, until the very end, we are not sure if the symphony will end tragically or triumphantly; the key of F minor keeps haunting the A major/minor tonality until the last page or two, when the symphony's opening theme returns in glory. I expect this is why the Sixth is comparatively neglected; it is the most ambiguous of his symphonies except for the unfinished, glorious Ninth.

I agree with you, however, regarding using the Te Deum as the Ninth's finale: it just isn't the way Bruckner would have done it.

Re Shostakovich's Ninth: I've always felt that finale to be sardonic, especially with the dizzying tonal shifts at the very end. What a way to snub the Soviet authorities!

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