The almighty four opening notes of this music work are not likely to be mistaken for anything else. The grand, the powerful, the triumphal Beethoven’s Fifth is the iconic classical symphony of all time.
Taking into account the scrupulous and experimental nature of the composer, it took him 4 (!) years to polish and refine the piece to perfection (1804-1808). And the result was absolutely worth all the sweat and efforts – today this symphony is a magic walkway into the world of classical music even to those who have never been the fans of classics as such.
We know that the Vienna premier of the symphony was far from confident success; rather, by the time the public heard the piece (at the very end of the concert), it did not seem quite interesting to them. Thanks to E. T. A. Hoffman’s rave review of the music work which came up later, the audience eventually paid the due attention to it.
Soon the beauty of the harmonies, the carefully interconnected music elements and the gorgeous rhythm were recognized as composer’s masterwork. From the dramatic first movement, on to the lyrical andante, further to the dark scherzo and finally in the grand finale – throughout the entire piece the listener’s attention is fully captured by Beethoven’s music genius. According to one of the versions, Beethoven himself compared the beginning of the Fifth to the “Fate knocking on your door”. We don’t know whether it’s true or not, but this phrase still makes a perfect description of the famous opening. Ta-da-da-daa.. and you got shivers all over!
The symphony had its fair leap forward right to the legacy of classical music. And it’s no wonder that there have been hundreds of recordings of the piece and that numerous artists around the world wished to try their hand in this outstanding music masterpiece, playing the Fifth on all possible music instruments. Here’s another lovely version of the composition played on three harmonicas:
Taking into account the scrupulous and experimental nature of the composer, it took him 4 (!) years to polish and refine the piece to perfection (1804-1808). And the result was absolutely worth all the sweat and efforts – today this symphony is a magic walkway into the world of classical music even to those who have never been the fans of classics as such.
We know that the Vienna premier of the symphony was far from confident success; rather, by the time the public heard the piece (at the very end of the concert), it did not seem quite interesting to them. Thanks to E. T. A. Hoffman’s rave review of the music work which came up later, the audience eventually paid the due attention to it.
Soon the beauty of the harmonies, the carefully interconnected music elements and the gorgeous rhythm were recognized as composer’s masterwork. From the dramatic first movement, on to the lyrical andante, further to the dark scherzo and finally in the grand finale – throughout the entire piece the listener’s attention is fully captured by Beethoven’s music genius. According to one of the versions, Beethoven himself compared the beginning of the Fifth to the “Fate knocking on your door”. We don’t know whether it’s true or not, but this phrase still makes a perfect description of the famous opening. Ta-da-da-daa.. and you got shivers all over!
The symphony had its fair leap forward right to the legacy of classical music. And it’s no wonder that there have been hundreds of recordings of the piece and that numerous artists around the world wished to try their hand in this outstanding music masterpiece, playing the Fifth on all possible music instruments. Here’s another lovely version of the composition played on three harmonicas:
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