The Dance of Life
Donald Macleod is joined by conductor John Eliot Gardiner to discuss Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, which Wagner called ‘the apotheosis of the dance’, and his Eighth Symphony.
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 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.
In Thursday’s programme, they explore Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, which Richard Wagner called ‘the apotheosis of the dance’, and Beethoven’s penultimate Symphony, the Eighth – a work which seems more traditional, and which, perhaps as a result of this, has never achieved the popularity of Beethoven’s other symphonies.
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.
Producer: Sam Phillips
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Music Played
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (1st mvt)
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic. Conductor: Carlos Kleiber.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOP : DG-447 400-2.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOP.
- 5.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony no.7 in A major Op.92 (2nd mvt)
Orchestra: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.- SOLI DEO GLORIA : SDG-717.
- SOLI DEO GLORIA.
- 2.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
12 Irish Songs, WoO 154 - No 8 Save me from the Grave and Wise (excerpt)
Performer: Elizabeth Layton. Performer: Ursula Smith. Performer: Malcolm Martineau. Singer: Ann Murray. Singer: Toby Spence. Singer: Sir Thomas Allen.- DG 4775128.
- DG.
- 5.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (4th mvt)
Orchestra: Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Conductor: David Zinman.- SONY : 88843077922.
- SONY.
- 1.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (2nd mvt)
Orchestra: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.- SOLI DEO GLORIA SDG721.
- SOLI DEO GLORIA.
- 6.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No 8 in F major, Op 93 (4th mvt)
Orchestra: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Conductor: Sir John Eliot Gardiner.- ARCHIV 4778643.
- ARCHIV.
- 8.
Broadcast
- Thu 19 Nov 202012:00BBC Radio 3
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