[redshifter]

the 1812 overture has canons in the climax. hard to beat that.

the gloria from beethoven's mass is like an extended climax.

rossini wrote some wonderful crescendi.

i also like the crescando in handel's royal fireworks, the first movement.

some of beethoven's symphonies have great climaxes in unusual places. the 6th symphony has a wonderful crescendo in the first movement capped off by trombone fanfares. the slow movement in his 9th symphony has a magical crescendo that starts with the strings playing a legato section of faster notes. his "wellington's victory" has a great climax right after the charge of the cavalry section, with all the muskets and canons going off and the orchestra just going crazy. did you know "wellington's victory" was beethoven's most popular piece of music in his time?

for rock zep's "stairway to heaven" comes to mind. rock is harder because stylistically it tends to maintain the same energy throughout the song. although i have a grateful dead bootleg from the filmore east shows in 1971 that has a version of "hard to handle" with a jerry garcia guitar solo that just builds and builds. by the time the band swings back into the verse garcia is wailing on and holding a peak note, then just drops back into the groove. the dead were an amazing live act.

 

[mbriant]

Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

Dancing the Night Away by The Amazing Rhythm Aces

and almost every other rock song that ends with a long lead guitar part.

Matthew-Spaltro: Great choice with Sweet Child in Time. I used to play that song to death when it first came out. It was the first song I ever remember giving me goosebumps.

 

[slartibadfast]

greetings, i'm new here (as you might have guessed from my unipost), just thought i'd add my two cents for this thread.

i agree that stairway is truly a monumental song, with a pretty amazing climax, but as far as led zeppelin goes, i really dig "in my time of dying" on physical graffiti. for me that song pretty much defines rock.

in the classical realm i really enjoy the plannets by holst, and mars particularly has a pretty sweet climax if you ask me.

i also think that yes's close to the edge is a pretty amazing album with a couple amazing climaxes, particularly "the preacher and the teacher."

 

[taipeileviathan]

for an extended period. by extended, i mean i dropped more than say, 5 tears. i must add tho, that i was hyper-ventilating long before the first tear dropped.

samuel barber's "adagio for strings". my goodness, if u classical fans out there haven't heard this piece, u have missed out on one of the greatest short pieces in music history (in my opinion).

and although there really isn't a pinpointable climax, i gotta mention "nimrod" from elgar's enigma variations. another moment in which i dropped tears.

... okay fine, i drop a lotta tears. sue me.

edit: i must add, barber's adagio has been performed in many, many forms, from a full orchestral string section to quartet form (kronos quartet, among others, has played it) to choral adaptations to trance remixes... tho barber originally wrote it for string quartet, i recommend either leonard bernstein's or toscanini's orchestral version (i say version, but barber himself arranged the orchestral score for toscanini)...

 

[slartibadfast]

i second taipeileviathan. barber's adagio is amazing.

i also find Gorecki's 3rd to be one of the most emotional peices i've ever heard. that's the tear jerker for me.

 

[daycart1]

I like "Stairway" too, but what about the guitar break in "Whole Lotta Love"? That is undoubtedly a climax in both senses!!

(Another one of those is the double climax in the first movement of the Franck Piano Quintet).

 

[finleyville]

"Cruel Sun" by Rusted Root

"Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay -- this whole song is a little subdued but builds to a climax in its own way

"A Day in the Life" Beatles

"Knights in White Satin" Moody Blues -- the very end gong note is climatic to me

"Free Bird" -- as the guitar solo starts

"She Goes On" by New Invisible Joy -- If you haven't heard these guys yet they come very highly recommended!! Definetely check them out!!

 

[Drathen]

The Ecstasy of Gold from Metallica's S&M album.

 

[redshifter]

Quote:

Originally posted by slartibadfast i second taipeileviathan. barber's adagio is amazing. i also find Gorecki's 3rd to be one of the most emotional peices i've ever heard. that's the tear jerker for me.

yeah, i have to go lie down after listening to the gorecki. same with the barber adagio.

 

[daycart1]

the ultra famous beginning of Strauss' -Also Sprach Zarathustra-? (the "2001 Space Odyssey theme")

 

[mkmelt]

The Who - Who's Next - We Won't Get Fooled Again.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced - <Ditto>

The Doors - The Doors - Light My Fire

The Doors - Strange Days - When the Musics Over

Cream - Wheels of Fire - White Room

Derek & The Dominoes - Layla - <Ditto>

Jefferson Starship - Blows Against the Empire - Starship

Jethro Tull - Benefit - To Cry You A Song

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story - I'm Losing You

Beatles - Abbey Road - <All of Side B>

 

[mbriant]

Gallows Pole - Led Zepplin

Education - The Kinks

 

[taipeileviathan]

slartibadfast, i haven't heard gorecki's 3rd yet... very interesting... he composed the music for the exorsist and the shining, rite? after watching those movies, i thought i'd never want to have anything to do with gorecki, but now upon urs and redshifter's recommendations i guess i'll have to run down to the library media center and give it a listen! plus, i think that lamb, a somewhat obscure lounge/house group from england, dedicated a song to him...

btw redshifter, i love ur avatar... hehe...

hmm... altho there's no particular climactic point, this record i'm listening of chet baker's live concert in bologna in 1985 includes a continuous climax during his scat solo in "my foolish heart"... ah...

edit: and btw all, if u've no idea what barber's adagio for strings is, it's also the background music in that scene in "amelie" where she fantasizes her own funeral/commemoration for being a saint on tv.

 

[ArChaos]

Quote:

Originally posted by daycart1 I like "Stairway" too, but what about the guitar break in "Whole Lotta Love"? That is undoubtedly a climax in both senses!!

You surely refer to the "wait down inside" part near the end... Yeah, good choice - in both senses

 

[daycart1]

Quote:

Originally posted by ArChaos You surely refer to the "wait down inside" part near the end... Yeah, good choice - in both senses

Interesting! I really did mean Page's break after the noisy interlude. I hear the part near the end as retrospective, but then it could instead be a double climax! (And isn't it "WAY down inside"---I guess I should get a lyric sheet!)