Having enjoyed the wit and imagination of Haydn and the sophistication of Mozart, September Symphonies has recently alighted at the best known canon of work of them all, that of Ludwig van Beethoven.
The symphony came alive with Beethoven at the helm, shedding some of its functional design to become a living, breathing organism that reflected an increased musical daring on the part of early 19th century composers. Few were more daring than Beethoven of course, and once he had signed off with the 'Choral' in 1824 he did so having performed a complete overhaul on what the symphony meant to composers and public alike.
Prior to the 'Choral' the longest symphony was probably Haydn's 'Drum Roll' or Mozart's 'Prague' – but this took everything to a new level, thinking nothing of introducing the choir and vocal soloists in to the last movement.
To start with, though, Beethoven was picking up where Mozart and Haydn left off, though even in the first symphony there were strong hints that departures from the norm would be frequent and adventurous. The piece, set in C major, does not imply that key for a while, its introduction deliberately toying with the listener and moving the harmony away towards F, then A minor. The effect, coming after the 'safety first' approach, can be unsettling.
Such formal and harmonic innovations occur frequently throughout the cycle, but what of the impression of the music itself? I chose the recordings carefully to try and give an equal representation of 'period' and 'modern' performance, whatever we take those to mean, for there are so many ways in which people interpret Beethoven symphonies and communicate them to their listeners. Yet what came through time and time again was the driving energy behind this music. The scherzos are incredibly vital, their rhythms driving them forward, while the slow movements explore emotional depths new to the symphony. For the former the First and Seventh are good examples, the Seventh especially flying along in the version I chose from Carlos Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic. By contrast the slow movement is sombre and inward looking, whereas in the Fifth it was at times pure passion in Leonard Bernstein's interpretation, the fuller harmonies tugging at the heartstrings.
Just for a while in the cycle it feels like Beethoven might be moving full circle, for the Eighth is more similar to the First and the Second in spirit and classical design, but the Ninth blows all of these thoughts clear out of the water. Here I was listening to Herbert von Karajan conduct a Scherzo of frightening power, but when he gets to the famous choral finale the music is so incredibly affirmative and defiant as to be almost overwhelming.
While the 'Eroica', a landmark in symphonic architecture and design, the Fifth and the Seventh are three of the obvious Beethoven innovators, a major surprise to me was the Fourth. Much of this doubtless related to the energy secured by Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music, but there was a freshness and wit in the music that was immediately appealing, despite the clouds of the introduction and the uncertainties of the first movement. It was proof that Beethoven needs good performances to make a maximum impact, but also that no matter how many times you listen to this amazing music, something new is likely to jump out and hit you without prior warning.
The influence of Beethoven would make itself felt in future September Symphonies that I listened to, but by this point I could have stopped and gone home easily!
Symphonies and recordings listened to:
Beethoven - Symphony no.1 in C major Op.21 (1800) NBC Symphony Orchestra / Arturo Toscanini (BMG)
Beethoven - Symphony no.2 in D major Op.36 (1802) Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Teldec)
Beethoven - Symphony no.3 in E flat major Op.55 'Eroica' (1804) London Classical Players / Sir Roger Norrington (EMI)
Beethoven - Symphony no.4 in B flat major Op.60 (1806) Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood (L'Oiseau-Lyre)
Beethoven - Symphony no.5 in C minor Op.67 (1808) New York Philharmonic Orchestra / Leonard Bernstein (Sony)
Beethoven - Symphony no.6 in F major Op.68, 'Pastoral' (1808) Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra / Riccardo Chailly (Decca)
Beethoven - Symphony no.7 in A major Op.92 (1812) Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Carlos Kleiber (DG)
Beethoven - Symphony no.8 in F major Op.93 (1812) Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Teldec)
Beethoven - Symphony no.9 in D minor Op.125 (1824) Anna Tomowa-Sintow (soprano), Agnes Baltsa (mezzo-soprano), Peter Schreier (tenor), Jose van Dam (bass), Wiener Singverein, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Herbert von Karajan (DG)
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