The epochal composer was born today or perhaps yesterday in 1770. He was baptized on Dec 17 and by inference born the previous day. Regardless, his appearance during the brief span allotted to him by nature or nature’s god (56 years) changed the world for the better like few other humans since our species emerged from caves and developed advanced consciousness.
He is one of the handful of supreme masters among the arts and sciences. I won’t attempt a list, but any such enumeration would include Beethoven. To celebrate his gift to the world, here are a few selections by the master that I’m particularly fond of. A compilation of his best work would keep me busy through the entirety of the coming year.
The finale to his Symphony #5 is one of the most concentrated expressions of energy and joy in all art. It speaks for itself. Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra.
Choral writing presented Beethoven with considerable difficulty, which he ultimately overcame through sheer genius. The Benedictus from The Missa Solemnis is one of the most moving pieces of religious music ever penned. This performance of the Benedictus was led by Leonard Bernstein in 1978. He conducted Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. The soloists were Edda Moser, soprano; Hanna Schwarz, mezzo-soprano; René Kollo, tenor; and Kurt Moll, bass.
His Piano Sonata #23 (The Appassionata) is one of the most demanding works for the piano ever written by Beethoven, or anyone else for that matter. Rudolf Serkin, one of the great Beethoven interpreters since the start of the recorded era, is in complete charge. The excerpt below is the last movement.
The cavatina from his string quartet #13 was considered so important that it is the final piece on the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph record containing a broad sample of Earth’s sounds, languages, and music sent into interstellar space in 1977 with the two unmanned Voyager probes. This is appropriate as Beethoven’s last five string quartets are so celestial that they must have descended to earth from outer space.
There is almost no end to what can be said about Beethoven’s art. But a brief birthday tribute to a creator of virtually godlike ability must end. He wrote just one opera which, while it has moments of great power and beauty, is a flawed composition. Not even Beethoven was perfect. But it did bring forth a miracle. He kept writing overtures for his opera until he came up with one so powerful and inspired that it would have overwhelmed the opera. Beethoven realized this and wrote a more subdued opener for his opera (Fidelio). The Third Leonora Overture is to overtures what the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is to painting – overwhelming. Wilhelm Furtwägler is the conductor.
When we commemoratethe great maestro’s birthday, we must all bow.
