Beethoven Unleashed: Freedom and Joy

Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, joins Donald Mcleod to discuss Beethoven’s symphonies

They have been described as “the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man”, “an expression of monumental intellect and innermost feeling”, and “music [which] sets in motion the machinery of awe, of fear, of terror, of pain.” There is no question that Beethoven’s nine symphonies changed music forever. The colossal legacy of these works has hovered over generations of composers since, leading Johannes Brahms to exclaim “You can't have any idea what it's like always to hear such a giant marching behind you!”

Over this week of programmes, Donald Macleod is joined by the conductor John Eliot Gardiner, founder of the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, to delve into the world of these nine sublime works.

Composer of the Week is returning to the story of Beethoven’s life and music throughout 2020. Part of Radio 3’s Beethoven Unleashed season marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth.

Music Featured:

Symphony No 1 in C major, Op 21 ( I. Adagio Molto – Allegro Con Brio) Symphony No 1 in C major, Op 21 (III. Menuet segue IV. Finale) Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 36 (I. Adagio Molto – Allegro Con Brio) Symphony No 2 in D major, Op 36 (II. Larghetto segue III. Scherzo) Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 “Eroica” (I. Allegro con brio) The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43 (Finale (excerpt)) Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 “Eroica” (IV. Finale) Symphony No 4 in B-flat major, Op 60 (I. Adagio – Allegro Vivace) Symphony No 4 in B-flat major, Op 60 (II. Adagio) Cherubini: Hymne au Panthéon 'Grand Chœur à la gloire des martyrs de la liberté et de ses défenseurs' (excerpt) Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 (I. Allegro con brio) Rouget de Lisle: Hymne dithyrambique sur la conjuration de Robespierre et la révolution du 9 thermidor, Paris, 1794 (excerpt) Symphony No 5 in C minor Op 67 (III. Scherzo segue IV. Finale) Symphony No 6 in F major, Op 68 “Pastoral” (movements III-V) Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace) Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (II. Allegretto) 12 Irish Songs, WoO 154 (No.8. Save Me From the Grave and Wise (excerpt)) Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (II. Allegretto scherzando) Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (IV. Allegro vivace) Missa Solemnis in D major, Op 123 - Credo (from Et Incarnatus Est to end) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 (I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso) Symphony No 9 in D minor, Op 125 (IV. Finale)

Presented by Donald Mcleod Produced by Sam Phillips

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Beethoven Unleashed: Freedom and Joy https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pgb5

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z