Today I had the finale of the Saint-Saens no. 2, particularly the closing
minute or so, buzzing in my head as it has been on and off the past few
days, and I suddenly thought of a possible explanation for this.  (Not
what got it there -- in this particular instance, that would be the movie
"Competition" which has had a spate of showings on TV lately, it is the
featured concerto of one of the six finalists -- but what's kept it there.)

Aside: Although many seem to say, more or less, that "Saint-Saens is nice,
but come now, it's not *serious* music", I find much in his output that to
me is not merely cute/clever/attractive, but moving.

Anyway, the concerto is in a minor key, and unlike most famous romantic
piano concertos (which seem to strive to express every possible emotion at
some point) the finale actually ends in a minor key.  Thus this finale's
haunting close gives me something that is usually reserved for the first
movement of minor-key romantic concertos.  In fact, I cannot think of any
others whose finales resolve in the minor.  If you count Mozart's later
concertos, and certainly one could make a substantial argument for doing
so, there's the C minor.

True, I am probably not digging deep enough, and additionally my
knowledge is limited despite this being my favorite area of classical
music.  On a budget like mine, being adventurous with one's buying is
daunting.  So, I turn to the fine people of MCML.  Please share with me,
if you will, any of your favorite Romantic (or other, if you must) piano
concertos (and performances of such) whose closing bars are in a minor
key.  They need not actually be called "concerto"; works like Weber's
Konzertstucke, Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody, Beethoven's Choral
Fantasia, R.  Strauss' Burleske, etc., would qualify, if they stuck
to their minor keys for the close.

Michael Cooper
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