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| Symphony No.6, "Pastoral" | Symphony No.8 |
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"This symphony is the very apotheosis of the dance."
Richard Wagner
"The extravagances of Beethoven's genius have reached the ne plus ultra in the Seventh Symphony, and he is quite ripe for the madhouse."
Carl Maria von Weber
"The apotheosis of the dance" said Wagner, but perhaps the apotheosis of rhythm would be more apposite. The seventh was premiered on December 8 1813 at a benefit concert for Austrian and Bavarian soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau in October of that year. The concert was organised by the Court Mechanic, Johann Nepomuk Mälzel, ostensibly the inventor of the metronome (although according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica it was actually invented by one Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel).
In the orchestra, which Beethoven conducted, were Schuppanzigh, Romberg and Spohr among the violins, and Hummel and Meyerbeer (who was always late for his cues, causing some cursing by the composer) on the timpani. Spohr left a description of Beethoven's conducting: "whenever there was a sforzando he vehemently opened his arms which had previously been folded on his chest. To the piano he would bend forward - the lower, the softer he wanted it played. Then, when there was a crescendo, he gradually straightened himself up and when the forte arrived leaped into the air; sometimes even, he would shout in order to reinforce the forte...." Anyone who ever saw Bernstein in the flesh will surely recognise this!
Strangely, although the symphony was a success, and the famous allegretto had to be encored, the succes d'estime of the programme was the "Battle of Vittoria" also known as "Wellington's Victory" or the "Battle Symphony", written for Mälzel's "panharmonikon"; it included cannons and guns (fired by court Kapellmeister Salieri - yes, that Salieri) and was a huge popular success.
Carlos Kleiber's hat-trick of great stereo recordings is completed with the 7th - once again with the VPO (DG). Compared to Toscanini's pre-war version for its level of excitement, it is one of the very few recordings I know which truly brings out the wonderful stereo effects between the first and second violins in the coda of the finale. A glorious effect, entirely lost in those recordings which utilise the British (and North American) tradition of seating all the violins together on the left. This is coupled with his equally outstanding Fifth on DG's Originals and is an essential purchase.
Almost equally seismic and again revealing those antiphonal effects in the finale, is Pierre Monteux's 1960s LSO account (for coupling see complete stereo sets).
Harnoncourt's is a first-rate modern account, although the sound is not significantly better than either of the above versions.
I have yet to decide on a period performance which stands above the others. Watch this space.
Again the historical stakes are taken by Furtwängler, this time by another wartime recording, dating from November 1942 in Berlin (DG, that deleted 10CD set). This a performance which will have you at the edge of your seat, and indeed out of it at the end: the "apotheosis of the dance" indeed. Scarcely less exciting, and considerably better-recorded, is his 1950 version coupled with the 5th (EMI).
Toscanini's 1936 New York version has legendary status and is certainly a fine performance, but I - as always - prefer others. There is also a BBC SO Toscanini reading, recorded live in London: this was, for a time, available as part of an LP-set with his BBC studio recordings of the 1st, 4th and Pastoral in the same year. I have not heard this version, but many critics say it is finer than the New York performance from the previous year. EMI should reissue these on CD as soon as possible.
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| Symphony No.6, "Pastoral" | Symphony No.8 |
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| Survey menu | Discography (this symphony) |