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from his Opus 33 set onwards, but had been more cautious using it in his Symphonie works. Beethoven had similarly shown a marked preference for the Scherzo in his solo and chamber works of the late 1790s and it became his preferred form for the third movement of his nine symphonies, the notable exception being his ‘classical’ Eighth Symphony. Beethoven’s sense of humour again comes to the fore with the introduction to the final Allegro con brio, the gradual rising scale making us wait expectantly for the arrival of the main tune. This joke did not meet with universal approval: the composer and music Professor in Halle, Southern Saxony, Daniel Gottlieb Türk (1750- 1813), apparently omitted this passage in performance for fear that it would make the audience laugh. Otherwise, the Finale remains fairly conventional, with Beethoven showing evidence of the contrapuntal studies that he had undertaken with his teacher Johann Georg Albrechtsberger in the mid- 1790s. Whilst Beethoven’s First Symphony remains an engaging and enjoyable work, we might wonder what would have happened to it if Beethoven had been cut off in his prime and not composed further symphonies. Thankfully, we can now hear recordings of the symphonies by his two younger contemporaries who only produced one symphony each in their short lives. One cannot help thinking that these two works (which can favourably be compared with Beethoven’s first example) have been unjustly neglected by comparison with this opening salvo from Beethoven. So if you have enjoyed Beethoven’s First Symphony, do try to explore these two works: • Symphony in D major (1821) by the Bohemian composer Jan Vaclav Vorisek (1791-1824) • Symphony in D major/minor (1823) by the Spanish composer Juan Crisöstomo Arriaga (1806-26) INTERVAL Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN D MINOR, OPUS 125 WITH FINAL CHORUS OF SCHILLER’S ODE TO JOY FIRST PERFORMED ON 7TH MAY 1824 IN VIENNA C.70 MINUTES 1. Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso 2. Molto vivace 3. Adagio molto e cantablile - Andante moderato 4. Presto; Allegro assai More words have been spilt on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony than any other symphony ever composed. For an overall view of the many interpretations of the Ninth, the reader is directed to Nicholas Cook’s study of the symphony as part of the Cambridge Music Handbooks, a readable and fascinating discussion of how the Ninth has been heard and viewed since its premiere in 1824, taking in widely differing performing traditions. This Programme
