I should probably be more familiar with the Beethoven symphonies than I am.
Nearly everyone can hum some part of the famous opening to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. I admit that I’m only familiar with the Allegro con brio, and I don’t really know much of the rest of the Beethoven symphonic cycle, save bits of the most famous passages. It’s a product of my fragmented and self-perpetuated classical music education, which was quite limited to the violin repertoire until I discovered ways of seeing the Boston Symphony Orchestra regularly. I appreciate the symphonic form, though the pieces are long and require careful listening over periods of time that are increasingly difficult to find. The drama of symphonic music cannot be relegated to background noise. The first series of performances in this symphonic cycle includes Symphonies 1, 2, and 5. These kick off the first Beethoven symphonic cycle since Serge Koussevitsky led the BSO through them during the 1933-34 season, so it added considerable value to my new symphony buddy AB to see them while the BSO were performing them. For me, it was a fitting tribute to the Beethoven egg that adorns the stage at Symphony Hall. (AB and I think that the egg was supposed to be for a rendering of Ludwig’s face but ended up being cut due to time constraints, prompting the artist to hastily scrawl his name in the space.)
The 5th symphony was magnificent — moving and powerful. It simultaneously showed off the acoustics of the hall and the mastery of the orchestra itself. They appeared to be in top form on a Friday afternoon, which for anyone in any profession is no small feat. The symphony itself seemed to be one long continuation of two movements; I could not readily discern breaks between the movements.
I was least familiar with the 2nd, as I had recognized at least some bits of Beethoven’s 1st. I liked several of the themes in the 2nd, however, and I look forward to revisiting them both soon.
Of course the series of BSO performances prompted me to go out to Cambridge and visit Stereo Jack’s to see if they had a good recording of the symphonic cycle. I was fortunate to find the Leonard Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonic available for a steal of a price, so I can familiarize myself with the symphonies before hearing the BSO renditions.
For his part, conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burg was excellent, and I even appreciated his quirkiness in demanding absolute silence from the audience between movements before continuing on. Though musical director James Levine is always missed while he recovers from his recent back surgery, there are plenty of guest conductors who come and go all season, so the only thing I lament is that Levine doesn’t get to be a part of the first Beethoven symphonic cycle in over 75 years. But Levine will return in time for the third program, and we are fortunate to have had de Burgo come, prepare, and perform on such short notice. This program whets my appetite for hearing the rest of the Beethoven symphonies, with a special distinction for me, as these are my first ever live performances of any of these works.
