In Reply to: I've always found the back end of the 2nd to be a hard slog. posted by Daverz on January 19, 2015 at 19:23:06:
the funeral march that follows gets a bit tedious and headache inducing, (Klemp takes it slow), then the Final Destruction, then those great off-stage trumpet fanfares (Mahler said he worked so hard to get the right effect), then the two heavenly chorales with the soprano breaking away, and so on.
I have to admit: the first entry of organ peddle in the last pages still gets me--Bernstein (or his DGG engineer) makes sure it's earth-shaking. So surprised others blend it in.
Mahler said he wanted to use it elsewhere in the symphony but didn't; in order to blow people away at the end.
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Follow Ups
- Used to be my favorite part: the ffffff gong-thwack heralds it in, then the opening of the graves.... - jdaniel@jps.net 07:21:10 01/20/15 (0)