My favourite Beethoven symphony

Musical interlude #2

I was rebellious enough to select a rather less well-known composer for my favourite symphony of all - number 3 “Espansiva” by Carl Nielsen. In any consideration for this title, at least one of Beethoven’s masterpieces had to be among the candidates. For this article I am deliberately using the word “favourite” - which ones do I still want to return to time and time again for listening pleasure? This is not necessarily the same as intending to put these forward as the “greatest” pieces of music.

One thing about favourite symphonies for me is enjoying all the parts that come together to make a whole, whether through contrast or a meaningful journey. My two favourite movements by Beethoven are the middle movements of the ninth, but I don’t return too often to the choral finale. I love the journey of the fifth and the picture story of the sixth. The fourth and eighth are relatively overlooked, and I appreciate them in their entirety. The third was so revolutionary at the time and has an air of grandeur and greatness, However, for me it is the contrasts and energy of the seventh that I find continually reinvigorating and consistently gets the most frequent play time from me.

Photo - image thumbnail from the video performance

The recording I have selected is from a video with Ivan Fischer conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam. It immediately appealed to me with a freshness and vitality that brings the piece fully to life. The piece needs full commitment and high energy without becoming a desperate rush, and the beautiful second movement needs to be a genuine contrast without becoming bogged down.

It’s a bit difficult to imagine coming to this work for the first time, it has been familiar for so long. However, the stark chords, ascending scales on the strings and woodwind answers still grab the attention and refuse to let go. This introduction needs to be strong and majestic, but if overdone can become at bit too bombastic - I am sure care is needed (I am a listener and not a musician beyond piano basics). The build up of speed into the faster main tempo is brilliant, with the jaunty flute tune coming in to really set things going. The full orchestra soon bursts in and everything is in full flow. Too much happens to try to describe in detail in words, but the whole movement is enthralling to me, right through to the blaze of glory at the close.

The second movement is much-loved by almost everyone. It is not as slow as some “slow movements” but full of wonderful things. The steady build up on the strings, with a melody only gradually emerging, is a thing of wonder. The theme is given plenty of time to grow and becomes quite impactful. Finally moving beyond it to something else came as a surprise before growing properly familiar with the work, but when the wonderful clarinet solo arrived it somehow became for me the anchor point of the whole movement, and remains one of my favourite little episodes in all of orchestral music.

The third movement has very clear contrasting sections, a very lively wide ranging opening with a much more static almost chorale like section with prominent brass. I still wonder how conductors and orchestras manage to start such a lively opening as there is here - there are various things about the actual making of music that remain something of a mystery to me after all these years of listening and playing just a little bit on the piano. It’s still a major thing for me if I get though a familiar hymn without some wrong notes. I can’t hold a tune when singing, my sense of rhythm is poor, and don’t even mention transposing instruments… But listening to the results and wondering about the mind of the composers and talent of the performers brings such joy and appreciation.

The joy and appreciation overflow in the exciting final movement of Beethoven’s seventh symphony. The drive and energy of the piece is thrilling and, as in the first movement, the build up at the end is founded upon brilliant writing for the double basses and cellos - in a great performance there should be no sense of tiring but of heightening the energy even further through to the final few notes. This is definitely what we get in the recording suggested, one where I agree with the popular vote - this performance has earned its 13 million views, and the cheers and applause at the end should bring a smile into to anyone’s life.