The Greatest Climax in Classical Music

[@guidepost42]

I like Bernsten's comment: "I detest Wagner, but I do it on my knees"

[@CommonSwindler]

I believe Bernstein said something very similar.

[@duanejohnson8786]

To that now constant chorus of detractors who smarmily complain about how appalled they are by Wagner the man, I ask them, “Did you write Tristan und Isolde?” And when they answer, “No,” I say, “Then shut up!”

[@a_little_flame589]

@@duanejohnson8786 so what he's excused of being a shite person cause he wrote good music

[@duanejohnson8786]

And who is talking excuses here? Certainly not I, but, at an unavoidable same time, I am rejecting the socially sanctimonious tribunal-mentality that presumes to deliver virtue-signaling judgments on artistic geniuses who fail their presentizing litmus tests. It’s never quite as morally cut and dried as these posturing secular church ladies make it out to be, and frankly, Wagner’s so-called faults and personal shortcomings are incidental to his person and therefore take a back seat to the greater reality of his genius and his accomplishment.

[@duanejohnson8786]

@a_little_flame589 No one is offering excuses here. But yet, what can be offered at this unavoidable point is a questioning of the socially sanctimonious tribunal-mentality that presumes to sit in judgment of Wagner the man and to issue virtue-signaling denunciations of his "personal faults and shortcomings." This kind of moralizing presentism adds nothing to the discussion. Wagner's idiosyncratic opinions and actions are documented enough for none of us to need hearing what in effect functions as the recitation of their higher-consciousness credentials by these eager-to-impress church-lady types, and frankly, that for which the latter fault him ends up being wholly incidental when viewed in relation his genius and accomplishment.

[@CommonSwindler]

All these people saying the Liebestod doesn’t match up to other climaxes… then proceed to name pieces that consciously or otherwise exist in its shadow. Tristan and Isolde is the dividing line pointing toward musical modernity. Without it there’s no Mahler, no Shostakovich, no Strauss, no Bruckner, no Debussy, no Ravel, no Schoenberg, and so on and so on.

[@randomguy4488]

@@CommonSwindler of course, but you can carry that argument further and further back, and say none of them would be who they are without Beethoven, Bach etc. It’s entirely possible for a work to be deeply inspired by another and also manage to exceed it, which is how music has progressed over time.

[@cufflink44]

Well said.

[@robertunwin1148]

Well said. Personally I find a lot of Mahler's and Strauss's climaxes certainly "noisier" than this, but also "cheaper" as well. They're certainly not better in terms of structural control, pacing and motivic development etc. The Liebstod is far more seamless, organic and profound - at least to my ears - than frankly anything in Mahler and Strauss. Wagner is simply the greater composer imo.

[@DynastieArtistique]

That's still not an argument to prove that a climax from any of the composers you just mentioned can't be greater. Or any other composer for that matter.

[@DynastieArtistique]

​@@robertunwin1148 About Strauss you may be right. But you don't understand Mahler in the slightest.

[@braincraven]

While everybody is throwing out their favorite bits O'Music, I strongly suspect that is more an emotional connection than this technical analysis. While I miss the witty commentary of most of your videos, I appreciate you just explained and let us listen and really listen. It helped me seeing the singer stepping up the stairs, reach the landing, and sing her triumphant joy of walking the staircase. And finally the easing down while we and her catch our breath back. Thank you!

[@diegomunoz363]

you call this technical??? I call it passionate.

[@johnpcomposer]

It may well be the greatest climax. You can't build one better.

[@sorinkavglazy6327]

Brilliant! Thank you for the journey...

[@mymatemartin]

That's what she said

[@johncrwarner]

My partner and I went to see Tristan and Isolde at our local opera house and though there were some good staging decisions I liked the first act being set on a car ferry from Ireland to Cornwall and them leaving in a balloon. The second act had the balloon crash landing and covering the back of the stage until King Mark arrives. The third act was on an ice-flow with a back projection and I had had so much - the singing is stupendous that I timed the looped back projection (It was 4 minutes 20 seconds!) so it was hard to focus at the end.

[@BenEmberley]

Which Opera Theatre was that?

[@johncrwarner]

@@BenEmberley Bielefeld - the production was imaginative but sadly for me there wasn't enough action for me - who is very visual My partner often closes his eyes and listens to the music intently.

[@MrBulky992]

Unless you are being satirical, you have described the exact reason why I rarely watch opera onstage. I cannot stomach listening to some of the most sublime of all music whilst watching Wagner's legacy as a dramatist being totally trashed by "imaginative" directors. Wagner's imagination was quite good enough for me, thank you! If we are trying to make the action more relevant and contemporary, why aren't we changing the music too? Perhaps a drum-kit and some electric guitars and synthesisers mixed in will tempt in a new audience if that is the intention?

[@macrobius]

Yes, but the climax begins to build from the first note - of the whole opera.

[@ainsa8746]

Exactly!!! The whole opera is a yearning for resolution in love-death all the way through!

[@eckhardtkiwittqs72]

How about Puccini, TOSCA, finale of the first act.

[@LinusCello75]

Just the te deum? What about a quiet climax of La Boheme preceded by two solos and a duet at end of Act 1?

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

A poor Italian. No one is perfect.

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

Wagner sneered at verdi and rightly.

[@marie-claudelenoir8713]

Thanks you ❤

[@JohanHerrenberg]

The biggest climax ever in my book is the ending of the fifth movement of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony, Judex crederis esse venturus.

[@DynastieArtistique]

Incredibly based take, I love the Gothic Symphony and I've only recently really got into it. It's one of the greatest symphonic works ever written

[@megaalphavulcan8036]

I like this but I think Strauss' Ein Heldenleben makes a good arguement

[@lindildeev5721]

Strauss was Wagner's spiritual son, no wonder his music is extremely similar.

[@syncopate50]

What a woefully inadequate soprano!

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

Agreed

[@anthropocentrus]

Not even my favorite of Wagners great climaxes….i find myself more exhilarated by the Meistersinger overture or finale

[@philipthonemann2524]

Thanks for posting this nice analysis!

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

There is beethoven and richard and after them nobody. Gustav mahler

[@AlexMaddyclas_sical_lover]

If it is the greatest climax ... What about Gustav Mahler 🤔🤔

[@jamesboswell9324]

I think he may be punning on the idea of 'climax' (especially given the final caption), but in other ways I would agree that Mahler does it more emphatically in symphonies 2, 3 and 8 especially. That finale to the third always sounds to me like the single most perpetually ascending and triumphant climax in all of music.

[@AlexMaddyclas_sical_lover]

@jamesboswell9324 I also love Mahler 3...The best climax ever done in music history...😍😍

[@jamesboswell9324]

@AlexMaddyclas_sical_lover It is absolutely magnificent, so yes I do agree. Although both his second and eight symphonies attain similar heights in different ways. In my mind the third steadily ascends to the summit of an impossibly high peak, striding defiantly upwards and finally lets us stand triumphant like the figure in that famous Caspar David Friedrich picture, whereas the eighth suddenly throws open the gates and invites us into a heavenly paradise of bliss and love. The second... that's a different kind of heaven altogether! :)

[@AlexMaddyclas_sical_lover]

@@jamesboswell9324 What do you think about Titan....It has an early view of Mahler world and has an glorious, magnificent and other worldliness finale....❤️❤️❤️

[@jamesboswell9324]

@AlexMaddyclas_sical_lover Yep, it's great too. A very exciting ending again. Mahler does the great endings whether spectacular or just delicious.

[@karolzurek3407]

That is most subjective

[@maurocalzavara711]

This climax is wonderful, but alas! It loses so much when played by a recording...

[@FLOJo83]

In terms of tension and release, I agree. However, I would have to say Mahler 2 finale has the best climax. Great video!

[@danb2622]

Mahler's 2nd is utterly epic and sublime. It slays me every time I listen to it.

[@juwonnnnn]

👏

[@64Alvis]

Nonsense! The overture to Der Rosenkavalier has an actual climax in it.

[@lucabernard489]

No disrespect to the singer but you should have chosen a singer like Nilsson or Flagstad

[@partituravid]

Thank you for doing this! But Waltraud Meier? Vocally one of the worst Isoldes....

[@WotanKlingsor]

I think the same about Meier

[@pietervoogt]

I never understand what Wagner tries to do. It doesn't touch me or fascinate me, it just goes on and on. I much prefer Bruckner.

[@DynastieArtistique]

I don't like Bruckner because I can understand what he's doing TOO much

[@biggusdave]

I'm not sure Bruckner would agree with you though 🤔

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

Bruckner called wagner the master of masters. He at least knew what he was talking about

[@paules3437]

This would be much more interesting if Isolde could tap dance.

[@MrBulky992]

That will be happening in a European opera house somewhere, as we speak.

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

And the comment section might be more interesting and less stupid .

[@paules3437]

@@michaelhanrahanmoore1622 Are you saying you DON'T think it'd be improved with tap dancing?

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

@paules3437 you're damn right I'm saying that. Tap would not enhance isoldes plight whatsoever. Neither to the audience or to her.

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

@paules3437 so you think doing a tap dance would solve her issues ? She's been destroyed by the death of her lover. You think a step or two would be appropriate to devout wagnerians? No sir.

[@dariopa21]

Liszt piano sonata

[@ashleythorpe7933]

I'm afraid this is no match for the climax of the storm from Richard Strauss' 'Alpine Symphony'.

[@CommonSwindler]

I guarantee you Strauss himself would disagree.

[@marcelob.5300]

Is it? Ok.

[@mauryq2150]

Really awful recording

[@Dylonely_9274]

I totally disagree. Puccini and Mahler composed greatest climax. If we had to chose one, it would be Mahler’s 2nd or 8th ending.

[@LinusCello75]

And what would you consider for Pucini? End of Act 1 La Boheme?

[@Dylonely_9274]

@ Especially the parts in the video on my channel, plus several other parts such as the duet in near the middle of Il Tabarro, many parts in the second act of Madama Butterfly, act III and IV of La Bohème, third act of La Fanciulla when the two main singers hit the high notes with the men chorus… not even considering Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi, La Rondine, Tosca and Turandot.

[@brynbstn]

The title snagged me. It was good. Quite wonderful. There could be many applicants for this title … so many subjective influences make up our listening experiences. Some people just don’t like opera.. sorry no like, no subscribe.

[@mikov36]

Greatest? You mean the longest... I am not stunned by keeping the musical piece unresolved for several minutes going up and down again. It keeps you unsettled? Yes. Its like in horror movie letting you wait for an unexpected jumpscare (loud climax). Nothing greatest about that... just dopamine squeezing.

[@captainhaddock6435]

Well, everybody is entitled to his opinion

[@flexusmaximus4701]

Your right not even near the greatest climax ever. Just wagners endless noodling, delaying for resolution. Mahler, Bruckner, even Beethoven top this.

[@ainsa8746]

What an utter uneducated nonsense about one of the most celebrated passages in Western music 😂😂 Wagner hatred really is an illness

[@ainsa8746]

​@@flexusmaximus4701Mahler and Bruckner top it in loudness maybe, or more specifically in Mahler's case noisiness, I'll give you that, but that's about where it ends 😂😂

[@ainsa8746]

What an utter uneducated nonsense about one of the most celebrated passages in Western music 😂😂 Wagner hatred really is an illness

[@skellyskeleton4676]

The ending to Rach 3?! 👀

[@c05.63]

Not Loud enough, lacking Orgasmic trombones

[@DynastieArtistique]

Incredible climax, awful soprano

[@clivecowlard7098]

The Liebestod is sublime... There's just a teensie problem... It makes the rest of the opera superfluous... It says everything Wagner was trying to say in Tristan as a whole... Like Beethoven's Leonora #3 overture which makes the opera Fidelio redundant... The tail wags the dog... The Liebestod is a perfect set-piece... It stands alone... Like the Siegfried Idyll... It doesn't work as the conclusion of an opera... It needs a postlude... But the Liebestod IS the postlude... Wagner shot himself in the foot

[@ainsa8746]

absolutely absolutely not, the whole opera is a masterpiece from beginning to end and the Liebestod (or more precisely Isolde's Transfiguration in Wagner's own terms) works as its utmost culmination. Especially the Act 2 Liebesnacht duet contains some of the most sublime transcendent music, and Act 3 as a whole is full of the highest musical depiction of utter despair from the prelude to the anguished hallucinatory monologues of Tristan.

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

Rubbish. Wagner knew better than you . Deal with it.

[@oritdrimer4354]

Incorrect, it is in the 3rd movement of Rach's 2nd symphony. But this is still good

[@randomguy4488]

A great climax for sure, but does it really beat all the huge climaxes of Mahler and Bruckner? I don’t think it quite compares

[@DynastieArtistique]

That climax isn't even the greatest climax in that symphony

[@michaelhanrahanmoore1622]

Hehe rach was a stupid Russian

[@orgue2999]

ew

[@akadetrorjk]

Meh