Main content

Beethoven Unleashed: Freedom and Joy

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

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

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

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

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

Music Featured:

Symphony No 1 in C major, Op 21 ( I. Adagio Molto 鈥 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 鈥 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 鈥淓roica鈥 (I. Allegro con brio)
The Creatures of Prometheus, Op 43 (Finale (excerpt))
Symphony No 3 in E-flat major, Op 55 鈥淓roica鈥 (IV. Finale)
Symphony No 4 in B-flat major, Op 60 (I. Adagio 鈥 Allegro Vivace)
Symphony No 4 in B-flat major, Op 60 (II. Adagio)
Cherubini: Hymne au Panth茅on 'Grand Ch艙ur 脿 la gloire des martyrs de la libert茅 et de ses d茅fenseurs' (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 r茅volution 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 鈥淧astoral鈥 (movements III-V)
Symphony No 7 in A major, Op 92 (I. Poco sostenuto 鈥 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 /programmes/m000pgb5

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

Release date:

Available now

1 hour, 24 minutes

Podcast