The Bright Beethoven

RECORDINGS OF THE WORKS

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symfoni nr. 7 i A-dur, op. 92

Whole work

Watch on NRK TV (2020)All 3 parts on KulturbaseMore recordings on Kulturbase

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symfoni nr. 4 i B-dur, op. 60

Watch on NRK TV (2018)All 3 parts on KulturbaseMore recordings on Kulturbase

Videos from Kulturbase

Address

Julius Thomsens Gade 1,
1974 Frederiksberg

The Bright Beethoven

Description

Beethoven's best-known works spring from the will to overcome resistance. At the beginning of the 1800s, Ludwig van Beethoven found himself in a violent field of tension between external war and inner crisis. The Napoleonic Wars marked the age, and the realisation of his increasing deafness was an existential catastrophe. But instead of giving up, Beethoven transformed unrest and anger into music driven by willpower – dramatic, insistent and far from mere entertainment. Symphony No. 4 from 1807 shows a brighter side of the heroic Beethoven. The music is energetic and inventive, and in this evening's programme it is precisely this light and dancing character that bubbles forth with warmth, humour and irresistibility. Beneath the bright surface, however, one still senses the inner tension that gives the work depth. The uncompromising artistic stance culminated in the work on the opera Fidelio, which revolves around freedom, equality and human dignity. Beethoven revised the work again and again and created several Leonore overtures. Leonore Overture No. 3 is today regarded as a major work in its own right – a concentrated musical drama in which struggle, hope and victory melt together. The contrasts are greatest in Symphony No. 7. The famous slow movement has become a symbol of a hero's death, but the symphony's real driving force is the unstoppable rhythm. Richard Wagner called the work 'the apotheosis of the dance' – rarely has music felt more physical and irresistible. Programme: Beethoven / Symphony No. 4 Beethoven / Leonore Overture No. 3 Beethoven / Symphony No. 7