Beethoven: Trios for Strings

Advantages: Haunting, passionate music to get lost in.
Disadvantages: It's classical and this puts people off before they even try it.

...Schubert left no indication of his inspiration for this piece it is known that he had around the time of composing it played the Viola in Beethoven’s string quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131 (1826) of which Wagner has commented, “a soul in distress”, followed by pleasant visions, a new yearning for life, beauty, gentleness, yearning, love, whims, humour, hilarity” and then “transition to resignation and painful renunciation” – one man’s reaction and sure proof of the music’s ability to evoke both strong emotion and powerful imagery.” This music sent Schubert “into such transports of delight and enthusiasm that all feared for him”. Beethoven had died the previous year (1827) and Schubert had not only visited him shortly before his death but was also a torchbearer at his funeral. I am no authority on music, I can’t discuss... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: A work that changed the way we look at symphonies
Disadvantages: none whatsoever

..., but Beethoven restrains this from happening. The music gets more harmonised in the winds, moving in a rising progression, culminating on a C flat major triad. The music turns agonizingly slow as we approach the recapitulation, that is followed by the famous "wrong" horn note. As the violins tremble on B flat and A flat, a lone horn sounds the first notes of the main theme before the orchestra gives us two strong measures of the dominant seventh. The horn has therefore begun the recapitulation as the strings are still only preparing for it. During rehearsals, Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries exclaimed: "You blasted hornplayer! Don't you know how to count? That sounded terrible!" Beethoven was left furious to Ries for a long time to come. The recapitulation doesn't present anything really significantly different from the exposition, except... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: One of Beethoven's finest symphonies.
Disadvantages: None from me, but some will say "classical music is boring".

...THE END OF AN ERA 1812 can be seen as the markerpoint where Beethoven's middle-period came to an end and his late-period was ushered in. Beethoven's middle-period saw the composer at his most creative high with one masterpiece following the other in rapid succession. The beginning of this period can roughly be timed as starting in 1803 with the appearance of the Third Symphony "Eroica" and the "Kreutzer" sonata. These two works signalled Beethoven distinctly leaving the 18th century Classicism of Haydn and Mozart behind him and taking on a completely new and individual voice. This individuality became more and more apparent in the works that followed: the "Waldstein" and "Appassionata" piano sonatas, the "Razumovski" quartets, the Violin Concerto, the three last cello sonatas, the "Archduke" piano trio, Fidelio, the Fifth and Sixth... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful