I have often wondered whether the Ninth Symphony should be treated somewhat like the Opus 130 Quartet: separate the finale from the rest of the symphony and publish it as a separate work like the Grosse Fuge. The slow movement of the Ninth creates the perfect spiritual finale to the drama of the first movement and the agitation of the Scherzo. It should end the work, and the great choral Finale would be a satisfying separate work like the Grosse Fuge.
(By the way, I thought Beethoven made a great mistake in writing the weak alternative finale to OP. 130. The Cavatina would have made the perfect conclusion, just like the slow movement of the ninth.)
(By the way, I thought Beethoven made a great mistake in writing the weak alternative finale to OP. 130. The Cavatina would have made the perfect conclusion, just like the slow movement of the ninth.)
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