ABSTRACT
The dramatic position of the last finale is like that of Le nozze di Figaro insofar as some problems have been resolved whilst others have not, but is quite different from Don Giovanni, in which the denouement of the opera happens in the last finale. This finale, the first of Don Giovanni and the second of Die Zauberflöte are all organized around a tonal polarity between C and E♭ majors, but in three entirely different manners according to the requirements of their respective dramas. Note also the relationship between the unison strings' descending detached E♭ arpeggio, which is directly comparable with the mechanical tonal links in the Act II finale of Don Giovanni, and to two similar passages in the Act I finale of this opera. With an effortless and irreverent snub to all tonal systems, a trickle of woodwinds descends into E major, and the tempo returns to allegro.
