Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 And 6

Esterhazy Sinf:Drahos

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Cat No: 8554061

Release Date: 12 January 1999

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 636943406120

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: BEETHOVEN

Description
Ludwig van Beethoven(1770-1827)Symphony No. 5 in CMinor, Op. 67Symphony No. 6 in FMajor "Pastoral", Op. 68Beethoven wrote ninesymphonies, the first heralding the new century, in 1800, and the lastcompleted in 1824. Although he made few changes to the composition of theorchestra itself, adding, when occasion demanded, one or two instruments morenormally found in the opera-house, he expanded vastly the tradition al form,developed in the time of Haydn and Mozart, reflecting the personal and politicalstruggles of a period of immense change and turbulence. To his contemporarieshe seemed an inimitable original, but to a number of his successors he seemedto have expanded the symphony to an intimidating extent.Beethoven's Symphonyin C minor, Opus 67, is a work that has enjoyed enormous popularity, notleast for its patriotic associations that accord well with the period of itscomposition and have proved to suit the sensibilities of later generations. Forsome the work has become known as Fate, as the result of an alleged remark ofthe composer, reported by the unreliable Schindler, on the opening of the firstmovement - Thus Fate knocks at the door. It has been left for others to pointout that there is plenty of evidence for similar knocking at doors in othercompositions by Beethoven, the initial rhythmic figure being one that he foundto his purpose on other occasions.Beethoven composedmusic relatively slowly and carefully, and the early sketches for the C minor Symphonyare found in notebooks of 1804, the period of the Eroica Symphony. Thework was completed in 1808 and dedicated to Count Razumovsky, PrinceLichnowsky's brother-in-law, the Tsar's representative in Vienna and a patronof great munificence, while his money lasted, and to Prince Lobkowitz. Itreceived its first performance at a concert on 22nd December, 1808. The taxingprogramme, that resulted in near disaster in the final Choral Fantasia, includedthe Pastoral Symphony and the Fourth Piano Concerto, as well as anumber of items for soloists and chorus. It seems that the FifthSymphony was at first intended, like the Fourth, for Count Franz vonOppersdorff, from whom the composer certainly received some payment. BySeptember of the year of its completion, however, Beethoven had sold it to thepublishers Breitkopf and Hartel. In orchestration the Fifth Symphony showsinnovations in its inclusion of the piccolo, the double bassoon and threetrombones in the final movement.The sixth ofBeethoven's nine symphonies, the Pastoral, was first performed at aconcert in Vienna in December 1808. The occasion was an important one for thecomposer, since it was likely to prove the only significant source of incomefor him that year. In preparation for the event he had put aside work on his projectedopera Macbeth and on the alternative text of Bradamante, both supplied byHeinrich von Collin, and assembled a programme of phenomenal length. The worksplayed included the Fifth Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, apiano fantasi
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