Diving into the drama of two game-changing symphonies from the impetuous musical mind who broadened the emotional horizons of western art music beyond contemporary comprehension.

 

So it's Beethoven's birthday on Friday. This week's episode is dedicated to harnessing the violent passion of his middle period. But first; Peabody's Improbable History.

 

 

In all seriousness; we continue with a BBC Two documentary about one of the of the most recognizable works in music history, Beethoven's fateful 5th Symphony. Writer Ian Hislop and Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner take us on a journey through this epic work and what makes it so truly remarkable. They uncover the historical circumstances surrounding the evolution of Beethoven's emotional erraticism, his investment 19th century European political chaos and his Napoleonic obsession.

NB: Musical support provided by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.

 

 

This year, BBC Music Magazine surveyed 151 conductors of major orchestras around the world inquiring about their favourite symphonies. Eroica, not the fifth, landed at number 1 on that chart. Initially conceived as an homage to Napoleon's revolutionary spirit, Beethoven's visceral disgust with Bonaparte's self-aggrandizement to emperorship inspired an alternate dedication. Simon Cellan Jones' Eroica (2003) tells the story of the private premiere of Beethoven's 3rd. Largely pieced together from writings of those close to the fiery composer, the film walks you through what may have happened at the first read-through of this work of revolutionary length, colour, and emotional span.

NB: The music you will hear is played (once again) by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

 

 

Tune in next week for a fresh new episode of Mid-week Musicology here on Classic107.com!