Not all revolutions are political. Some overturn artistic conventions. Beethoven's Eroica ... more
challenged accepted notions of music as a kind of decorative background and brought the listener along on a gripping voyage into the unconscious.Beethoven spent three years writing the Erocia, which was an intimate and unflinching journal of his personal crises. The piece marked his emergence as an original master. In this DVD, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony invited you discover the music of the Eroica and circumstances surrounding its creation. Retracing Beethoven's steps through Vienna's aristocratic ballrooms and Austria's rustic villages, MTT explores how Beethoven channeled his fears of deafness, his admiration for Napoleon, and his obsession to prove himself the greatest composer of this time and to write a piece that forever changed what a symphony would be.
Advantages: A new way to hear Beethoven Disadvantages: Surpassed by some later period cycles
others with its depiction of a trio of birds, a village band and a thunderstorm.
The Seventh brought a completely new emphasis on the use of rhythm, something that had never been heard of before at this scale, while the Eighth proved that little is sometimes more with its witty and humor-filled attitude completely off-setting the greater Seventh. And finally there came the Ninth Symphony that not only out-scaled the Eroica, but also introduced human voices in a symphony. The addition of a chorus and soloists in a profoundly instrumental work would be much explored by the Romantics that followed. In essence and deed, Beethoven was one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) influences in the way music evolved through the Classical era to the Romantic. And, of course, his influence also effected many other genres like piano sonatas, chamber ...
Advantages: A work that changed the way we look at symphonies Disadvantages: none whatsoever
Eroica, to the memory of a great man," the title it has become known to us today. But it is also important to keep in perspective the influence of Napoleon in this work. Many have tried to see Napoleon in the programmatic sense, with the first being a "portrait" of him, the second an anticipation of his downfall or some other historic association with Napoleon, and the finale as his rise from corporal to general. This is of course utter folly. The symphony most probably represents Beethoven's own ideals and struggles with fate, his hero-worshipping and his own desires to evolve the symphonic design.
The symphony was mostly written in 1803 and was finished in the beginning of 1804. When we forget all the irrelevant programmatic ideas, we can focus on a work that is truly groundbreaking for its time. In 1803 a normal symphony was usually ...
Advantages: Outstanding music on period instruments Disadvantages: Swaping C.D'S in music player.
The 9 symphonies by Ludwig Van Beethoven. (1770 - 1827)
Performed by The London Classical Players.
Conducted by Sir Roger Norrington.
With the Schutz choir of London.
Not everybody likes classical music. Even those who do, do not all like the same things.
This boxed set of CD's if different from previous recordings.
Firstly, it is played on period instruments. This is not to everybody?s taste.
These instruments are not like today?s instruments. For instance, the violin has a cleaner but more plaintive tone. The woodwinds
each has a colour and clarity of tone that blends to a harmonious whole. The timpani, those smaller drums, are hit with hard sticks more reminiscent of military drum sounds. The horn section has a different feel to it.
Considering the lapse of some 184 years, it would be strange if the sounds ...
