Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
September 21, 2008 – 6:17 pm by JohnI recently went to a concert that opened with Beethoven’s 7th symphony. It was the whole reason I went, and it surpassed even my expectations. It has long been my second- or third-favorite symphony of all time, behind his 5th and perhaps Dvořák’s Symphony From the New World. Interestingly, the two times I’ve heard Beethoven’s 7th live, it has opened, not closed, the concert. This time the concert ended with some modern piece of dreck called “Metropolis Symphony” by some talentless American guy. I’m not going to bother finding a link to it, and neither should you. The previous time, Ottorino Respighi’s “Pines of Rome” was the finale, which is understandable, I guess, but, still, it’s hard to play any Beethoven symphony and not close with that, especially with a fourth movement like this. Crank up your speakers and give a listen: what a whirlwind of fire and joy and fury and melody:
Beethoven’s 7th, movement IV – Allegro con brio
