Best Beethoven Symphony

[Taverner]

By the way, did you know Beethoven was a Socialist? And his one and only Opera was about socialist issues?

Also - the man openly challenged Anti-semitism in his writings (which was gaining popularity due to Nietchze at the time...)

[Deep13]

1. Had he written nothing in his life but the Ninth,...

...he would still rank as among the greatest artists in history.

[sarge43]

2. Bruno Walter's take on the 6th - ravishing. n/t

[Swamp Rat]

3. I like the 6th and 7th the most but the 9th is Divine.

His late string quartets are very interesting too.

[Aristus]

4. I'm a fan of the Fifth. It has been so overdone, those opening notes,

that it has almost become cliched. Everybody knows those notes that signify "Fate knocking on the door", but how many know the 45 minutes of sheer unadulterated genius that follow it? The first movement is one of the best, most thorough extrapolations of a single musical idea in history. And the second movement has an unequaled majesty and grandeur.

I knew Beethoven was progressive, but I didn't know he actively opposed Anti-Semitism. That's quite remarkable for his day. Beethoven ROCKS!

[stlsaxman]

25. Ludwig had "duhn-duhn-duhn- duuuhn...." and Pete Townsend had "duhn-DUHN!"

both definitely ROCK!

[CBGLuthier]

5. 9th is the best, but 2nd movement of the 7th is my favorite

In particular an organ arrangement of it that was used in the movie Zardoz.

[tjwmason]

6. The tenth.

As he didn't write one, it is thus silence (or if you prefer ambient sound) which is (in normal circumstances) preferable to the other nine.

That said, 2nd and 4th movements of the 9th, along with 1st movement 5th Piano Concerto are the perfect accompaniment to thunder-storms - with the windows all wide open.

[khashka]

21. Make snarky comments about Beethoven, my beloved

and you just might end up in a world of pain!

The tenth is preferable to the other nine, indeed! Heretic! And you know what we do to heretics.....


Khash.

[tjwmason]

22. But snarky comments are what I do best.

:P

[khashka]

24. Yes but....

If we have to burn you at the stake I'll cry for half an hour. Or at least 15 minutes.

Surely you still like me enough not to wish that on me!


Khash.

[Aristus]

27. Brahms' First Symphony is often referred to as "Beethoven's Tenth."

It was so strongly inspired by the works of Ludwig Van, it earned this nickname.

[Fenris]

7. First off, F. Nietzsche was born 17 years after Beethoven's death.

Antisemitism was prevalent in Germany, but it had nothing to do with Nietzsche.

And the answer is his Seventh Symphony.

[HEyHEY]

8. It is a little-known fact Ludwig was a Psychic and predicted

All of Nietzsche's work.

[jpgray]

9. So it is true that Beethoven went death before Nietzsche was born

[Name removed]

11. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SteppingRazor]

10. Gotta go with the Ninth...

not only is it a great symphony, it's the one I'd play if someone asked, "Who's Beethoven?" It's got all the blast and bombast endemic of the man's work.

[Flaxbee]

12. The 7th stops me in my tracks every time

The 9th is of course spectacular, esp. considering Beethoven's hearing/lack thereof when he was composing/conducting it. But the 7th haunts me.

And dammit all to hell, I have the boxed set of Bruno Walter conducting all nine symphonies and the disc for the 7th is GONE! Lost! Husband isn't the most careful of creatures with discs and I fear it perished in his hands somehow.

Anyone know how I might be able to buy just that one disc instead of replacing the whole set?

[SaveElmer]

13. Ninth, Fifth, and third...though none are bad...

Beethoven to me was far and away the greatest composer of all time...not even close really!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. I believe that the Ninth is his best.....

But for me......his Sixth, the Pastoral.......is my personal favorite.

Probably because of its inclusion in the original Fantasia....

[GCP]

19. Me too Peggy

Fantasia introduced me to the Pastoral and I've loved it ever since!

[MikeH]

15. Very hard to think of just one favorite

I often have difficulty with polls asking us to choose which one of several good things is our favorite.

Sometimes when I am in a certain mood I might like one, and another time I might like another.

Of course I like his 5th and his 9th symphonies. I like the somewhat spooky 3rd movement of his 5th symphony, which segues into the rousing 4th movement. And I like the first three movements of his 9th symphony, which lead up to the final movement.

I also especially like his 7th symphony. In fact I remember listening to the 7th symphony while driving in my rental car on my way to my 20 year high school reunion a number of years ago, which kind of added to the excitement of something important in my life.

I like his 2nd and 4th symphonies, which are two of his less known and less frequently performed symphonies. I particularly like the bucolic 2nd movement of his 2nd symphony.

I remember once on the late Karl Haas' monthly Mystery Composer quiz, he chose Beethoven as the mystery composer. He had to dig up some really obscure works of his to hide his identity at the beginning of the program. For the clincher at the end of the program, he chose the last movement of Beethoven's 4th symphony, being one of his least frequently performed symphonies.

[CTyankee]

23. Beethoven can be hard, esp. if you are listening to an early work

He is classified as a Classical era composer but as he went along he morphed into a Romantic. For me, a non musician, his earlier works sound so much like late Mozart I get confused.

By the ninth of course there is no question of the era he entered.

[likesmountains 52]

16. Piano Concerto No 5.... Emperor , that's my favorite concerto

[Burma Jones]

17. Well, I suppose the Ninth is a huge achievement

and I've sung in the Chorus twice for it....But, I'm kinda partial to the Sixth for just listening to......

[blockhead]

18. What's brown and sits on top of a piano?

Beethovens last movement.......

[MikeH]

29. lol

:rofl:

[khashka]

20. The glorious Ninth

There is also some indication that he was desperately in love with his nephew and was linked to the Bavarian Illuminati. A complicated genius.

The story of the first production of the Ninth when he was deaf always brings tears to my eyes.....


Khash.

[ContraBass Black]

26. The Fifth or the Ninth.

I can't decide.

[Pied Piper]

28. I'm a free-lance symphonic musician

...and I've had the privilege of playing all of his symphonies and most of his concertos and choral works over the years. Some of these works come back again and again. Those of us who are lucky enough to perform the classical literature often classify orchestral works into 3 categories: fun to listen to but not fun to play (Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition"), fun to play but not fun to listen to (I'll get back to you on this...), and fun to play and fun to listen to (Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring", Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe", and many, many others...). There is also the unmentionable 4th category of "not fun to listen to, not fun to play, not really worth anything, but some artistic administrator feels the need to unearth this unholy disaster every so often". I'll let you fill in the blanks here...

My current day job is in the IT department of the world's largest orchestra corporation. Check my profile - you'll figure it out. One of the many benefits of my job is that I get to hear one of the world's great orchestras every single day, in rehearsal and in performance, so my perspective is a bit warped.

The 5th and the 9th are terribly over-played; I really don't care if I ever hear or play either one of them ever again. The same goes for the violin concerto. However, I never miss an opportunity to be a part of the Emperor Concerto or the 3rd ("Eroica") Symphony. Ditto the "Leonore Overture, No. 3". Those works are truly at the top of the heap for Beethoven's works.

The classical music world is full of wonderful works from all ages, yet for some reason, certain of those works appeal to the public, even when "learned" musicians are opposed to their value.

Hmm, sounds like politics in the 21st century.

/off soap-box

Pied Piper

[Phillycat]

30. Stupid question...

Is the 9th the one that he wrote when he was already deaf? If yes, then that's the one I like...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

31. This is not a stupid question, my dear janesez..............

And yes, he wrote the Ninth when he was completely deaf.......

It was his last symphony, too..........