Berlios - The Last Movement

Berlius asks the entire orchestra to play a sof ly as possible. This momant is huge, nearly 15 minutes long in some performances. By writing such a long movement, berlios continues a process that began with beethoven and continued throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. A first movement that carries a lot of narrative weight, then following that with inner movements that are either character pieces, dances, or music that was just generally a little bit lighter. The last movement has the added effect of building to a grand conclusion to send the audience home happy, or, in berlos, delirious.