Tom's Opinion

I attended a symphony last night of which the centrepiece was the mighty fifth.  I refer to Beethoven’s fifth symphony.

What can one say about Beethoven?  I am not a musician, I am not a musical scholar, I am not even an avid listener of classical or orchestral music.  Beethoven though has the power to reach across all borders.  His music is enduring, powerful, stately, great, and frightening.

Everyone knows the fifth symphony, at least they know the first movement.  The remaining three were just as good.  His employment of motif and lyricism is stunning.  Beethoven doesn’t make music out of an instrument, the entire orchestra is his instrument and he plays that.  Beethoven’s genius cannot be locked into instruments and notation, he transcends all of that and creates on a canvas no one else can hope to even see let alone match.

What greatness.

This entry was posted Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 12:15 pm and is filed under Main. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.