I was extremely taken with JLW's description of the finale in DSCH7: "the plunge into the coda, those almost hysterical string figurations and then - THAT MOMENT, as those snarling firebird fanfares rise, twice, against the tension, bursting for release..."
It made me wonder about other great codas. I'll start with a few:
1. The end of the first movement of Bruckner 9. The music all but fizzles-out but starts to build again with horns and strings and then terrifying trumpets - I once thought my heart was going to stop during a glorious BBC SO/Wand performance at the RFH (*)
2. The glorious coda at the end of the finale of Bruckner 5 - particularly that moment where time seems to stop as the chorale theme reappears half speed (**)
3. The moment at the end of Berwald's Sinfonie sérieuse where we reach the home key of G minor and a hooligan bass trombonist (sometimes doubled by naughty conductors) comes crashing in on an E-flat. Perhaps an early predecessor of what DSCH does at the end of the 7th or Stravinsky at the end of the Firebird?
* Sadly the fiddles messed-up the start of the final Adagio, so no chance of a CD release
** Less than half speed with Jochum as per R Simpson's book
It made me wonder about other great codas. I'll start with a few:
1. The end of the first movement of Bruckner 9. The music all but fizzles-out but starts to build again with horns and strings and then terrifying trumpets - I once thought my heart was going to stop during a glorious BBC SO/Wand performance at the RFH (*)
2. The glorious coda at the end of the finale of Bruckner 5 - particularly that moment where time seems to stop as the chorale theme reappears half speed (**)
3. The moment at the end of Berwald's Sinfonie sérieuse where we reach the home key of G minor and a hooligan bass trombonist (sometimes doubled by naughty conductors) comes crashing in on an E-flat. Perhaps an early predecessor of what DSCH does at the end of the 7th or Stravinsky at the end of the Firebird?
* Sadly the fiddles messed-up the start of the final Adagio, so no chance of a CD release
** Less than half speed with Jochum as per R Simpson's book
Comment