Music Chat: Unhappy Endings--The WORST Codas By Major Composers 

Thank you for playing the ending of Dvorak's cello concerto, it's one of my favorite concerto's. A wonderful piece of music, I actually have that recording you played, never get tired of this concerto.

Most comments seem to agree with you but I have always really enjoyed the finale to the Eroica, including the Coda.

After a month or so of listening to as much as I can from you, I absolutely love how "keep on listening" is not just a clever sign-off, but are in fact words that are absolutely necessary to your message. I will definitely keep on listening!

Fascinating topic! I totally agree with your appraisal of the Eroica finale - a let-down after the drama and power of the first three movements. I'm also thinking of the original coda to the finale of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra (a topic of one of your earlier chats). Such a big build-up and then - thump, it's over! The revised ending is magnificent, and I wonder why anyone would bother with the original, except perhaps as a curiosity. It might be fun to do a talk about the best codas - those endings that send a shiver down our spines or makes us stand up and cheer. You mentioned two (Bruckner's 8th and Dvorak's Cello Concerto) and there are a lot more that come to mind (for me, the coda of Mozart's 41st Symphony, among many others). Thanks for another fun chat!

So happy you raised this point of endings and loved you demonstrated the other side with Dvorák's Cello Concerto. It seems to me that you should explore the problem by talking about the pieces where the endings are exceptionally effective, like Shostakovich First op.10 or Janacek's Sinfonietta. Just two examples where I keep coming back to listen and compare different interpretations in this regard.

That Bruckner coda is the worst. It's like someone shouting "Ta-dah!" 30 times in a row.

Sometimes the worst of codas are the best of codas, depending on your mood, or the performance. The codas of Beethoven's Eroica and Tchakovsky's 5th can either make me jump for joy or shout "please stop". It may be the weather.

As soon as I read the title, I knew (or suspected) you'd talk about Bruckner 8 and Beethoven 3 based on your Bruckner 8 / Beethoven Ideal Symphony Cycle videos ;) And although, in Beethoven's case, I disagree completely (I think the Eroica is one of the greatest masterpieces ever written, including the coda), I must admit this is a very well thought out and entertaining video. Btw, even if I'm the only one who thinks so, I find the coda of Beethoven's 5 much more annoying, at least five times you think "ok, but now it's over" and then it just drags on with an additional noisy section, and another one, and another one...

The ending of Dvorak's Carnival Overture is proportionately long but I love it.

I agree completely with your analysis of the Eroica coda. It is jerky and ineffective. But then, it is a symphony I care little about as a whole. For me, the 6th, the Pastoral, is the most enjoyable and most meaningful of the entire 9. Another contributor here mentioned the Tchaikovsky 3rd "Polish" symphony's last movement coda as a choice for worst codas. I have to agree also. It is so bombastic and drawn out!. When does it ever end? Thank you for your channel. I recently discovered it and I am learning so much from your insights. You challenge my thinking on many levels, and I have years behind me of listening to recorded classical music. Really like your "chats" ! The one about your personal experience with Henze was great! Had a few chuckles from that one!

The Eroica is the one Beethoven symphony that I never seem to get tired of listening to. Sorry, Dave, but you've lost me here.

Wonderful to hear you play the finale of Dvorak's cello concerto. I had already picked my choice for the most inept coda, and coincidentally it's the last five minutes of Dvorak's 1st symphony. There's your rookie pilot circling the runway over and over before managing to land the plane. Dvorak certainly improved over the years.

Thanks for having the courage to point out just how terrible the Eroica coda is David. Especially after the doleful apotheosis that comes just before. It's like being awakened from a sublime dream by an old mechanical alarm clock...

On the other side of the coin....aren't the best codas the ones which don't seem tagged on but are just a natural extension of what has gone before? Saint-Saens was very good at that, viz those wonderfully poetic codas at the ends of the first movements of the 4th and 5th piano concertos. And what about the astonishing coda of the first movement of Medtner's second concerto which so beautifully summarises all the movement's thematic material.

One of the best Strauss codas-Elektra. Was blown away the first time I heard that one. And I completely agree about Dvorak’s Cello Concerto as a perfect example of ending triumphantly after a period of quiet and calm.

Shostokovich 12th; I keep waiting for it to end. Alsp. Wagner's Rule Britannia Overture, which is pretty much one big coda. Great talk David. You have made my COVID isolation a bit more tolerable!

Dave should do the BEST Codas someday. Would like to know the musical critic + percussionist preference!

This is a bit peripheral, but i would like Dr. Dave (and any other knowledgeable commentators) to weigh in if the "Hero's Works of Peace" section includes a premonition of material from the 1915 Eine Alpinesinfonie? I often think i hear such, but am not thoroughly convinced. Thanks in advance for any reply.^^

Unhappy endings!- I wonder what Dave thinks of the ending of the Sibelius 5th? This has always bothered me in view of the grandeur of the ending of his second symphony. The melodies and themes of the 5th are among the most beautiful ever composed (in my opinion) but I was always waiting for a majestic coda instead of those 6 annoying spread out chords! This, to me is one of the most unhappy endings. Even Sibelius' original version from 1915 has a more definitive ending.

Dvorak did have trouble ending sometimes, though. The coda to his "Carnaval" Overture is almost funny. It is essentially padding and goes on far too long but the piece is such fun that I don't think anyone minds.

Dear Mr Hurwitz! I wonder if you have made a talk about recordings of Mozart's piano quartets K 478 and K 493 ? If not I would like to ask you to consider to make it. Best wishes Fred.

An interesting contrast to the coda of Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) would be the nearly contemporaneous A Hero's Song by Dvorak - his final orchestral work. Although this work putatively did not have a program, it's hard to believe that the notes and melodies were random, and if in fact this was quasi-autobiographical, then based on its glorious and majestic coda it would seem that Dvorak was leaving his orchestral career on a very high and triumphant note indeed.

About the Eroica symphony, probably it is because of the last chord. I wonder someone could explain us. Some notes are missing? It is so light as a Beethovenish slam crash sound.

With all my heart, mind and soul I love EVERY SINGLE note of Walton's 1st symphony... except for the last two.

Surely you are joking Mr. Hurwitz!

Dvořák 4, finale. Terrible. Agreed with original Bruckner 8, on the other hand, he composed two best codas in the universe.

Do you have a video on the best codas? I wonder what you think of Francesca da ramini's coda.

Although it is often said that the banality is intentional, the coda of the finale to Shostakovich 5 can be hard to stomach - particularly when the conductor decides to slow down in a grand dramatic fashion in the last couple of bars (no rall marked in the score).

A few mentions of Tchaikovsky no. 5 here. I’ve given some thought to how the 4th movement of Tchaik 5 might balance if it were not the coda cut, but the beginning. Starting at the timp roll would mean the big tune would roar out for the first time in the movement (and I think in a major key in the whole work?) after a build-up, instead of beginning the movement and saying “we’ve arrived already, but we’re a bit early so let’s drive round the block “.

I agree that the 4th mvt of the Eroica is not in the same league as the first 3 movements, particularly thematically, but he subjects the matterial to some great development and contrapuntal exporation, which raises the interest greatly. The coda---yes, it does seem somewhat mundane, but I think the repetitions of the double chord pattern are slightly reminiscent of the opening 2 thunderclaps of movement 1, which are extraordinarily attention--grabbing, so perhaps Beethoven was trying to tie the symphony together with a variation on that reference?

Not just classical music had these problems. How to end a song is a major headache for some song writers. In popular music, a gradual reduction of sound volume was used relentlessly because it was easier to do.

i think i find critical videos like this more interesting as all i hear is reverence for the greatest composers, i never hear my own thoughts like “i love this mahler symphony - except that bit - that significant long bit” my personal one is beethovens 4th, not bad per-se - but the movements are perfection to me bar the last which is entirely forgettable

As for one of the best endings, though dangerous and/or at least confusing for concertgoers hearing the piece for the first time, would be that of Sibelius #5. Brings such a smile to my face every time. (And I noticed another commentor here panned it and wanted to add it to the "worst" list. Such variation in personal preferences, even among us classical fans!)

Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet has that awful "inartistic" ending. Stokowski rewrote it and I'm a huge fan of that version. I remember encountering the piece for the first time when I played it in an orchestra in high school. I was really confused by the bombastic ending at the time and after a little research, indeed discovered that there was controversy surrounding it. The bombastic ending has grown on me a tiny bit over time but it always felt really shoehorned and weak to me and to an extent still does.

Maybe that Coda doesn’t belong at the end of the Finale of “Eroica”, perhaps somewhere else in the Symphony, but I like it. And it sounds innovative for it’s time.

Loved your view on Beethoven 3rd. I remember thinking that in music school.

Strauss's coda to the coda obviously quotes Zarathustra so I assume he's making a Nietzschean point about all-powerful nature. Maybe that nature wins in the end and therefore has to supersede the first human coda. The Dvorak coda is indeed brilliant.

With the right recording, e.g. Szell/Cleveland or Kletzki/Czech Phil, everything in Beethoven 3 fits together. Of course, we need a triumphant conclusion--the "hero" of the Eroica is Beethoven. It makes perfect musical sense. The theme is HIS theme--it's been present in his oeuvre throughout his career at that point--in a contradanse, in the Creatures of Prometheus, in the piano variations Op. 35, and now the finale of the symphony that busts the genre out of the 18th century. Thus we go from the verge of despair and defeat to triumph, a dramatic parallel of Beethoven's emotional journey. I'd also venture to say it's Variation IX and not really a coda formally, though it does serve as a conclusion. I will give you the point that it's not easy to conduct, which is why we see such a range of interpretations that range from wholly dissatisfying to electric.

I love the ending to "Ein Heldenleben," particularly its similarity to the famous opening of "Also Sprach Zarathustra." I agree with you on the other two, though, and the last movement of the "Eroica" has always seemed to me far below the quality of the rest. I'd nominate another example of a bad ending to an otherwise great piece: George Gershwin's "An American in Paris." Gershwin himself kept nibbling away at it, making various cuts in an effort to make his ending work, and he still never got it quite right.

It’s the coda of the 4th movement of Bruckner’s 6th that I am frustrated with. I always feel I want more. Maybe Bruckner should have swapped the coda for the 1st movement.

I find your view of the Eroica ending fascinating not because it is wrong, but rather because I think you have a point but it simply never bothered me, -just loved the piece. I think the rest of the piece is so good that we are simply willing to give Beethoven a pass, he is only human after all. It also seems to me, as some of your commenters have pointed out, that the same criticisms could be leveled at the ending of the 5th, which at the very least seems a bit carried away. I guess it's in the 7th where he finally gets it right, an ending in perfect proportion and dramatic effect to match what came before.

I have always found the end of the Dvorak, New World unfulfilling. A major build up and then the last notes fade, where there should be a major symphonic ending. Completely agree about the Beethoven. In view of what comes before, this is overdone and overlong.

Hi David. While I agree that the revised coda to the first movement of the Bruckner is better than the original, I am such a Bruckner fan that I enjoy the original coda. If only he had made it longer! :P. I am glad you like the ending to the Dvorak cello concerto as I feel that it , like the rest of that composition, is Heavenly!!! Oh btw thanks for championing Dvorak's work. Through you I discovered his piano concerto which has become one of my very favorite compositions :) YeeeeHaaah!

i'm reminded of Bernstein's talk on Beethoven's 5th where he presented earlier thematic and development ideas Beethoven had, then threw away. It's a sort of revelatory experience to hear how silly and clumsy some were before he came up with just the thing. Composing is more than coming up with great melodies and other sounds; there's also great deal of problem-solving involved. i wonder how many rewrites of the 3rd's coda he agonized over before he finally had to accept that's what it would be and move on already?

My nomination for worst coda is the revised ending to Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7. There are claims that he was coerced or tempted to tack it on, but it’s encouraging to note that recordings are now available using the original ending. My preference isn’t rooted in any musicological argument, but rather in the impression that an introspective and melancholic episode shouldn’t terminate in a musical equivalent of “just kidding.”

There are some MAJOR orchestration problems in Eroica’s coda. Usually out of tune in the winds. You cannot have the 1st flute, (I believe) second clarinet, second oboe in one of the last sections playing the melody against the whole orchestra.

That was interesting, thank you. Will you want to review my "Blemished Codas in Every Key"? yet to compose the rest of the selections... ;)

I certainly don't think the final bars of Dvorak's 9th are worthy of the rest of the symphony. A bit of a letdown, IMO...

I actually don’t mind the original ending to the first movement of Bruckner’s 8th - I’ve been called a noisy, ungainly ball of brass myself!! That said, the revised ending does flow more logically from the preceding material and your suggestion of using the original brass as an excerpt for a film score is a shrewd one. As for suggesting Beethoven wrote a single wrong note in his life, particularly the Eroica, thems fightin’ words for a lot of purists who prostrate themselves before Saint Ludwig. I’ll sit back and watch the food fight on that notion in the comments. Trusting Master Szell in Beethoven is always a good choice, that much I will say.

I stopped at the Eroica. I love every note of it and don't want to have somebody plant thoughts in my head about why I shouldn't that I'll start listening for in the future. But I'm not the least bit offended that you think it's badly flawed.

Oh, man... Bruckner, yes, of course. But, Heldenleben, and the Eroica? I love both... I think the Codas of both are the best parts of each one's end. Everything after the Battle, and most of the Eroica finale, are less interesting to me.. I think the Coda of the Eroica is perfect. Joyful, exuberant, some of the most exciting music ever. You lost me on this one. However, you can make it up to us with BEST Codas... Bruckner and Beethoven will figure large in that one, too.

I really like the end of the original coda to the first movement of the Bruckner 8th. I just don't like it THERE. I'm not sure where it should go, but I certainly don't want it to disappear entirely.

So enjoyed this, many thanks. Would you consider one on ‘Masters of the coda’? I’m often stunned by how good Mozart’s are, eg at the end of the Clarinet Quintet slow movement, or the conclusion of the Adagio of the D major String Quintet K593.

The "endless" Beethoven codas aren't as "endless" as many of those of Tchaikovsky, and I love them all, certainly including the Eroica ending and that "eeking" that you emulate. I think it's brilliant, you think it's schlock. To each his own.

Intentionally over-the-top, satirically bad coda writing is probably best seen in Malcolm Arnold's 'A Grand Grand Overture', I think. Played for laughs, it is in fact an effective piece, but as has been pointed out in the video and comments, doesn't seem to know how to end, and so tries multiple options. Thanks for the video David.

I’d like to put in a bid for the “feel-good” ending that Prokofiev tacked on to his Symphony No. 7. The world-weary sigh that opens the work perfectly sets up its “death” at the end. Prokofiev allegedly affixed the everything’s-just-fine coda when his friends advised that the pessimistic ending might draw the disdain, if not ire, of the Soviet artistic police; the composer is also said to have begged his friends to excise the coda in performances after his death. Recordings - and probably live performances, I’d bet - run about 50/50 for inclusion of the coda. I’ll opt for the morbid, and more honest, ending every time.

The Eroica finale isn't up to the rest of symphony; but a well-thought out performance can make it sound better. The best coda I've ever heard is on the old Reader's Digest set with Rene Leibowitz and the Royal Philharmonic.

Great video and interesting topic! I completely agree with your assessment of all three codas you selected. I was wondering while watching if the finale of Sibelius’ Fifth would make it into your worst three. It’s in mine between the Bruckner and the Strauss. I would be curious about your choices for best codas in a future video. I bet my favorite coda isn’t in your top 10, or top 100, or even top 1000. It’s the coda from the first movement of Rutland Boughton’s Third Symphony. I just LOVE it, and, much to my embarrassment, I cannot justify it nor even explain why I love it. Maybe I’m just a sucker for downward harp glissandi and heavy brass playing in B major?

I’m not sure about your assessment of Ein Heldenleiban. I think Strauss prophetically hit the nail on the head about the end game of a great hero. I think of General McArthur, a military genus who Truman thought over stepped his station. I shall return v Old Soldiers never die, they just fade away. Strauss nailed it! Second, also not sure about the Dvorak. as a bass trombonist in a quaint metropolitan symphony, I’ve played in the back with cellists from Lynn,& Zara, up to Yo Yo and beyond and while I get that the coda was supposed to be Dvorak’s mom’s soul ascending up to heaven, IMHO, it always sounds to me like a vaudeville playoff tag. PS, terrific trombone parts, both pieces!

oh i knew before playing the video that you would upset me in some way, shape or form - ha ha - sure enough you did with Ein Heldenleben which for me is a perfect piece of music from first note to the last - if I were to quibble with an ending to a Strauss tone poem it would be the end of Thus Spake Zarathrustra which always seemed to me a bit contrived

With Beethoven, I agree with another poster that the ending of the Harp Quartet is very weak. The ending of the F major Rasomufsky isn't so great either. Weaker still I'd say is the ending of the C major cello sonata.

A bit of fun is to remember a deliberately bad coda: Malcolm Arnold’s ending to his Grand Grand Overture. This after the vacuum cleaners have been shot.

For me the worst coda that wasn’t supposed to be terrible is of the finale of Tchaikovsky’s 5th. It should end after the climactic chord when audience members who don’t know the work applaud anyway! Also there seems to be little agreement on how to pace those last four notes. I agree with you on the Dvorak Cello Concerto and love all the musing before he wakes you up with his terrific ending. I have never understood why Ein Heldenleben is as popular as it is. Strauss should have stopped composing tone poems after Don Quixote, for me his greatest. I can understand your opinion of the Eroica coda, though only the last two notes bother me. They never seem right no matter how long or short they are. As for an intentionally bad and very funny coda, I recommend that of Ligeti’s Concert Romanesc-a real hoot!

The Eroica finale is problematic for reasons besides just the coda, but the coda really is a sorry excuse. Sets of variations as finales often don't quite live up to their task. I think Beethoven's Harp Quartet finale also misses the mark, for example. Brahms pulls it off successfully in the 4th Symphony.

Dear Dave, I am not saying that my suggestion is missing in this list for different reasons, but if you ask me about an extremely unsatisfying ending, I would bring up the debussy violin sonata. I have listened to many recordings with all of my favourite musicians and every time I was feeling that it is just stopping at a random spot. That domehow hurts me in a very special way.

Entertaining video, even though I completely disagree about the Eroica. I think it has a stupendous ending. 😂

Talk about stretching out a coda to maximum, the coda to Bruckner s 8th Symphony is a good example. The conductor Celibe_______ makes stretching an Art Form in a recording on RU-vid with the Munich Philharmonic. It is so slowing played the , it's as if the Orchestra is rehearsal mode . I'm talking about the ending Coda of the final movement, of course. Watch if you dare. You might fall asleep

I've never been happy with the end of the Franck symphony. It just seems to come to an arbitary stop with a full orchestra ascending scale. The worst dumbest performance sabotage comes with the Schubert Great C Major. That giant > on the last chord is so obviously NOT a diminuendo but a slashing accent. Anyone who thinks it's a dim. sign has no business conducting the piece. Grrr.

The Eroica ending reminds me of the Dudley Moore Beethoven Sonata parody. You can find it on RU-vid. Well worth hearing.

Two reasons why those exposed violin quadruple stops in the coda of the Eroica sound out of tune come to mind. One is that the voicing requires the players to stop a perfect fifth on adjacent strings (Eb4, Bb4), which is somewhat awkward to tune in the best of times. The other is that the first several use the open G string, but having the third of the chord on an open string means you can't lower it to make a just third. Either you have to give up on tuning the chord justly, or you have to raise the root and the fifth instead, in which case it would probably be impractical to get the rest of the orchestra to match you.

Totally agree the coda of Eroica is silly; you could even call it pythonesque.

Thinking a little more of this, someone once told me that the Eroica is such an enormous STRUCTURE. And I agreed. It's as if every note has it's perfect place. So the coda may seem substandard when viewed in isolation, but it needs to be appreciated as part of the whole. And to me it gives the impression of the only ending possible. Is the Eroica the greatest symphony ever written? I think it is a good contender.

Wow, I didn't think I'd be saying this, but on hearing it for the first time here, that Bruckner original coda actually is rather bad. That one I agree with you!

My choice is the coda to Tchaikovsky's 5th. Now don't get me wrong - a triumphant coda is absolutely correct for the piece, but considering how much of that motto theme you already hear throughout the finale, hearing it blasted through the coda just comes across as tedious and grating, at least to me. To be fair I'm not a big fan of the finale in general, but I put up with it because the first 3 movements of the symphony are some of the best music Tchaikovsky ever wrote.

agree the Bruckner 8 original coda is absolutely terrible... as you say, not just structurally, but musically.

Why single out the Eroica? Let's face it, with two exceptions (7&9) the codas of the Beethoven symphonies are pedestrian at best. The concertos are much better (by the by, I alwas assumed the coda to the Dvorak Cello Concerto was inspired by Beethoven's Emperor Concerto).

I have two examples of terrible bad first endings , both by Liszt: The Sonata in B minor and the second Ballade , also in B minor.

Say what you like about the Eroica; I love it and I love you.

Coda from Villa-Lobos Guitar concerto last movement is horrible ... a kind of cadenza was running at the middle, then is suddenly cut by a guillotine tonic chord out of nothing. It is so clumsy that when I listened to it for the first time in a vinyl LP, I thought of a jump from the turntable stylus ...

What a funny and insightful talk! I like it so much that you connect wit with wisdom! But, hands down, the Bruckner is just a little bit unfair. At last, he himself altered the Coda, and it was good! The original coda is just a thing for the worshippers, not for the listeners. It would be the same with the original ending of Bartóks "Concerto for Orchestra". Besides: In my opinion, the finale of Beethoven's 5th is worse than the one of the 3rd, but that's a question of personal taste (and you mentioned it). My personal choices include another Bruckner, the coda of the 4th movement of the 7th symphony. In my opinion, it wants to be the climax, but doesn't succeed, because it's too short and somewhat out of balance. Every time I listen to the 7th, I'm dissatisfied. I prefer by far it's neighbours, the 6th and the 8th. In my opinion also a bad ending has "Petrushka" in the ballet version. I know, it's a dead puppet, but also dead puppets deserve a better finale than this. Nevertheless, my worst ending is Scriabin's "Poem of ecstasy". Which chord will be the final one? And then comes the final cord, which must be final, because after being held for 12 seconds or so, no brass player could go further. (In parenthesis: Nearly the same situation you have, in pianissimo, at the end of the 1st act of Strauss' "Die Frau ohne Schatten": One chord, one chord more, one more chord, the final one now, no, one more and one more and so on. But it's such a beautiful work!)

Als ich vor 50 Jahren die Eroica zum ersten Mal hörte, habe ich ziemlich gelacht, weil ich dachte, er sei so verzweifelt wegen des nicht gelingenden Endes, dass er dann irgendeine Skizze nahm.

Dave, greetings from the Penal Colonies. Your "BBBRRRUUUCCCKKKNNNEEERRRSSS" are becoming so seismic, it is making anyone living near the San Andreas Fault nervous! Great stuff !!! Best wishes, B

I'm not a big fan of the coda to Beethoven's Hammerklavier. It's a great, yet thorny sounding, double fugue finale, BUT the conclusion is not-so-great. Just seems like he all of a sudden needed to get back to the original key and just end it!

The ending of Walton's 1st Symphony always has me shouting, 'It'd be great if you could finish it right HERE'. And then it stutters on. Wonderful symphony in many ways, but the close is a real botch.

I normally like Tintner's Bruckner, but here he makes a bad situation even worse. He takes that coda so slowly that it competes with the finale's coda. That shouldn't happen. I think it works better on Inbal's recording, where he takes that tag at a relatively fast clip. Still, there's a reason why Bruckner dropped it. Just speaking for myself, I really dislike " Ein Heldenleben" - I think that long, dragged out ending is, yes, 'awful'. I couldn't agree more with your comparison of Dvorak vs. Strauss. As for Beethoven, I don't care for the coda of either the "Eroica" Symphony or the 5th Symphony. Yet, I like much of what happens before. My favorite Beethoven symphonies are the ones where isn't trying so hard to be profound: 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8.

He should have included the (gasp!) Beethoven 5th, and the Schubert 9, two of the most overblown codas in the standard repertoire.

I use Brckner's mvt.I ccoda as my doorbell chime.

Maybe Beethoven's Eroica is just a little bit too bloated. First movement development section, whoa, just endless. Slow movement, magnificent but too much pathos maybe. Brightness of the scherzo, brilliant contrast. The finale, actually is a masterful exercise in contrapuntal writing. But I'm not sure how else Beethoven could have ended it. Interesting talk, but I still love this symphony and I can't criticize too much, it's legendary.. I have a candidate for an unsatisfactory ending to a major work.- Tschaikovskys Manfred symphony...

Blumstedt does do a better job of getting the melody out at 21:49... You usually never can hear this.

On the Beethoven third I may agree with lots of effort but only on the very last part of coda, otherwise the coda is glorious like the whole work.

Not a coda but I think final movement of Chopin's sonata 2 would be better if the final bar was taken out

Agree with the Eroica and but would add New World Symphony and Sibelius 5 as examples of great codas ruined! For me both are exceptional codas up until the final few bars which, to end the whole symphony, are a huge letdown!

Does anyone else feel that the magnificent Mahler Symphony 1's coda feels unsatisfying? I'm referring to the last two-note "dum-dum"...

How about Sibelius' 5th, last movement? those chords...

How about "What could have been the worst coda by a major composer, had it been true." Solti's decision to follow the musicological misreading of Schubert's final chord in the coda of the 9th symphony. Read Dave's review at classicstoday. Supposedly Bruno Walter said that he always wished he had the courage to play a decrescendo on the last chord of the finale. Lucky for us he didn't.

Even though it’s one of my favourite pieces of music, the ending of Prokofiev’s second piano concerto was always a bit of a letdown for me.

I just don't get the negativity about the Eroica I think the ending is fabulous.

I totally agree with the Eroica. I llllllooooovvvvve the Eroica as a whole, but I feel always somewhat awkward and embarrassed when I play or hear the coda. Other bad codas to very good, great and worthy pieces are - in my opinion - Tchaikovsky's Fifth when these stupid triplets in E Major start and the main theme of the Symphony returns in this shallow and empty triumphant manner. It's such a gorgeous symphony - and then this... And another one: Beethoven's Egmont Overture. Not good either... by no means...

I've learned to love the typical Beethoven ending. They are hilarious, and I know Beethoven knew they were, so he took it to extremes. Brahms 1st has a Beethoven ending, albeit a short one. Dudley Moore's Beethoven parody is right on, and only slightly exaggerated.

Totally agree on Bruckner 8, totally disagree on Strauss. In general, I cannot understand the adversity engendered in many listeners by Strauss's quiet endings to his tone poems. Well, matter of taste and so on, I guess.