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Leeds International Concert Season 2017-18 LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN 1770-1827 The most famous symphony of them all. Without doubt the most recorded and performed of all symphonies, with two recorded performances dating from before World War One - and so over a Century of recordings charting its onward march through our collective consciousness. Those openingfour notes, da-da-da-dum, instantly recognisable are known in nations and cultures across the globe. And yet how often do we sit and listen to a complete performance of this 30-minute symphony? Concision is the key to the opening Allegro con brio, at less than seven minutes it is the shortest opening movement of all nine symphonies, even with its exposition repeat. The significance of those four opening notes has been much discussed. His pupil Czerny reported that Beethoven told him that the famous opening was inspired by the persistent call of the yellowhammer which he heard on his daily walks in Vienna. Later his factotum Anton Schindler quoted Beethoven remarking, ‘thus Fate knocks at the door’, in relation to these same four notes. Although Schindler has been shown to be an unreliable witness on many occasions, his reported description fits in with our conception of the Symphony as a whole and will forever be associated with the start of its great journey. Indeed, the Symphony is sometimes referred to as ‘Fate’ in a subtitle. But otherwise the Fifth is one of those few symphonies known by its number alone, like Mozart’s Fortieth. Contemporary with work on the Fifth Symphony include his Coriolan Overture and 32 variations on a theme in C minor for solo piano. Two of the works that were also premiered at the mammoth concert that launched the Fifth Symphony on 22 December 1808 also share the same journey from C minor to C major: the Agnus Dei from his Mass in C and the Choral Fantasy, Op 80. The Orchestration of the Fifth is restrained, the extra Instruments (piccolo, contrabassoon and three trombones) only appearing at the start of the Finale. So it is truly remarkable the power that he achieves in the opening movement with the same resources of the classical orchestra inherited from Haydn and Mozart. The tension of the first movement is only interrupted by the brief cadenza for solo oboe just after the start of the recapitulation, the relentless rhythm then hurtling to its angry conclusion. The second movement provides contrast and respite, although some may be inclined to agree with Helen in E M Forster’s Howard’s End about its disconnection from the rest of the Symphony: For the Andante had begun - very beautiful, but bearing a family likeness to all the other beautiful Andantes that Beethoven had written, and, to Helen’s mind, rather disconnecting the heroes and shipwrecks of the first movement from the heroes and goblins of the third. But this movement remains quintessential Beethoven, simply showingthe other side of his nature, just as capable of lyricism and grace as storming the heavens. In loosely arranged Variation form, the theme constantly looks upwards, with a three-note rising sequence that Ernest Newman highlighted as one of Beethoven’s distinctive finger-prints in his book The Unconscious Beethoven. Its use suggests that even here he is summoning up the energy for combat and victory that will be realised in the Finale.
