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| Ludwig van Beethoven |
On September 18, 20, 21, and 23rd, Music Director
Riccardo Muti will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. I've long considered the 9th as the world's greatest artistic achievement. The concerts have long been sold out but I'll be standing at the ticket office window hoping to get lucky on a donated ticket. Chicago Arts patrons are good about donating tickets back to be resold rather than allowing them to go unused. I've occasionally had to donate back my tickets due to traffic or flight delays so I'm hoping this time to be on the receiving end of a thoughtful patron's generosity.
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| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Beethoven and Mozart are generally said to be the two greatest composers with Bach sometimes also mentioned. Which one do you favor? I love Mozart but Beethoven hits closest to home with me. I can feel Beethoven's struggles, and triumph, over all the disorder in his life so I find his music more inspiring than the genteel elegance of Mozart. Please share a favorite recording or tell of a concert that you found most memorable.
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| Gary Oldman as Beethoven in Immortal Beloved. |
Beethoven was in Vienna, briefly, at the same time as Mozart and had intended on studying under him but had to return to Bonn on a family matter. There has always been speculation as to whether these two titans ever met. Wikipedia says a meeting might have taken place in 1787 between the 17 year old Beethoven and 31 year old Mozart. I like thinking they did meet and an account will miraculously be discovered tucked away in a Viennese library.
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| Tom Hulce as Mozart in Amadeus |
In the movies, Mozart and Beethoven have had mixed results. Milos Forman directed a near masterpiece in 1984 with
Amadeus. The Beethoven biopic
Immortal Beloved was mostly a disappointment.
Amadeus was actually carried by the supporting cast (and beautiful sound track) led by F. Murray Abraham whose role as Salieri, Mozart's bitter rival, who so perfectly introduced the audience to Mozart's prodigious gifts. In the lead role, Tom Hulce was hopelessly, if understandably, overmatched. Nothing about his performance felt right. That odd silly laugh was only an irritating reminder that Hulce wasn't up to the task. Everything else about the movie was so well done, that the movie still succeeded. Playing the role of one of the world's greatest ever genius' seems like an impossible task, especially after watching Hulce's performance, but it has been done. Gary Oldman was sensational as Beethoven in
Immortal Beloved. Oldman, at the very least, has an acquaintance with genius that Hulce does not. If you haven't seen Immortal Beloved then go have a look as Oldman's performance is the best I've ever seen on screen and largely wasted in a movie that missed the mark.
Post Script: Per The Darling Hattatts mention in the comments section; I just listened to Brahms excellent 1st Symphony and the Beethoven influence was pleasingly apparent and further research showed even more interesting similarities.
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| A famous cartoon of Brahms from when he lived in Vienna. It seems that this other alternately difficult or charming German ladies man who never married used to take long walks (always with his hands behind his back) and set up shop in a tavern called The Red Hedgehog. Sounds like my kinda guy! |
Darling G,
ReplyDeleteWe are firmly in the Beethoven camp, backed up by Brahms. We know that we should admire Mozart's musicality, and we do. We know that Mozart's music has a purity that makes it great.......but, somehow, we cannot love him.
His Operas are too tinkly to our ears and they lack the body and drama of Verdi.
No, Beethoven will always be a first love and the 9th symphony is a triumph. We do so hope that you will strike lucky with tickets. A historic occasion here in Budapest was when all nine Beethoven symphonies were played on one day. Starting at 11am with intervals between the third and the sixth, the rousing ninth symphony was the culmination of a day of pure musical joy. Certain orchestra members came and went but the conductor, Zoltán Kocsis stayed throughout and conducted it all without a single score. Bravo, said we!
Darlings Jane and Lance,
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened to very much Brahms so will now make a point to based on your high regard. I agree with everything you say on Mozart although I have to admit to perhaps being a sucker for the great 'tinkly' fun that is The Magic Flute...
I read of your historic Beethoven all 9 symphonys in one Budapest day but I lack the stamina to take that much on and likely would have needed a restorative interval back in your drawing room over tea with Edward while you and Teddy soldiered on with Maestro Kocsis....all 9 symphonies without a score?!?! That's astonishing!
Darling G,
DeleteIt was said at the time that Brahms could be a worthy successor to Beethoven and, perhaps, it is no coincidence that Brahms took around 20 years to complete his first symphony, which is often compared with Beethoven's 9th. What a treat you have in store listening to this.......glorious!
Then you might try Brahms' Händel variations which really shows the virtuosity of this composer.
You would have easily managed all 9 symphonies, indeed, we totally surprised ourselves. Teddy was there, of course, and joined in the standing ovation at the end.
Darling G we cannot wait until you come to Budapest where the most glorious musical repertoires await you.....and, by hook or crook, we always obtain tickets!
Darlings J & L,
DeleteI added a Post Script per your suggestion of Brahms.
G, Good luck getting a ticket. It sounds like my kind of evening......its been a while since I have had the pleasure of the symphony. F. Murray Abraham was indeed the standout in Amadeus, and though I didn't absolutely love the film, I now might have to dig it up, and watch.
ReplyDeleteNow that you're living in the big city Cynthia, you must make a point of availing yourself to the many cultural opportunities so near at hand. One reason for starting The Den was to get myself out of the house and attending more events; it can be so easy to just stay home and watch neflix rather going out to support our cultural institutions.
DeleteWe were just in Nashville and were able to scalp tickets, legal here, from a young lady to The Piano Guys at the Ryman. Had never heard of them but they were quite good...take classic and pop and fuse together. Purists will gasp but there were so many young people in the audience. A great way to peak the interest of these kids.
ReplyDeleteBB, I like all kinds of music depending on my mood and have been to a number of piano bars and cabaret shows in Chicago.
DeleteBeethoven then Bach then Mozart. Apparently Beethoven was bipolar but that's such an over prescribed condition to anyone who seems to have a bad day... But Bach does things to me when I listen and when I was pre university in played piano and while I wasn't any good I really enjoyed the challenge of playing bavh's simple études and it was particularly different and challenged my tempo in a way on other composer did as a player. But I enjoyed Beethoven do much that when i played the beginning of moonlight sonata I couldn't believe that I could reproduce this sound albeit badly but still. I hope you get your tickets!
ReplyDeleteNaomi, whenever I'm home I have my mother play Moonlight Sonata on my grandmother's old piano.
DeleteI can appreciate both Beethoven and Mozart, of course, but my absolute favorite is Handel, followed by Bach.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I visited Austria, my husband insisted we attend a concert played by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, in full period costume. It was actually rather good, if not a little cheesy, and the acoustics of the beautiful baroque concert hall (Musikverein Vienna), were spectacular.
Closer to my current home, I try to make a point of attending one of the concerts at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral over the Christmas period where The American Bach Soloists, under the supervision of Jeffrey Thomas, do an excellent job of performing Handel's Messiah. Again, the acoustics of the cathedral are phenomenal for such concerts.
We are very fortunate to also have a great symphony in the city, which happens to be in the middle of a Beethoven festival.
All the best in scoring your ticket (do let your loyal readers how that goes).
CD, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra in period dress in a baroque concert hall is my idea of heaven! San Francisco is also a great city for classical music which you are taking good advantage of. Our Chicago Symphony Orchestra does Handel's Messiah every December and I look forward to taking that tradition back up this Christmas.
DeleteI'll give a full report on the 9th.
My musical taste varies widely- from opera to Ozzy, but I have been partial to Ludwig since I felt the heady intoxication of playing Beethovens 5th at a piano recital when I was 11 or so. Oh the thrill.
ReplyDeleteFavorite pieces are harder to narrow down, it depends on my mood. But I am something of a traditionalist I think, I always want to hear Beethovens Ode To Joy, and The Night Queens aria Der Holle Rache something something in Meinem Herzen from Mozarts Magic Flute always sends shivers up my spine. But I have to listen to it loud
As for 'favorite recordings', I think this one has to be at the top of my list:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo
I cry every time I watch it. If this ever happened to me I am not sure I would ever recover
If I have one regret my dear Bebe, it's that I refused to take piano lessons at my mum's urging when I was about 8; my mother's side is quite musical and my father's sis was a music major (piano) and taught for many years. I'd love to hear more about that 11yo's Beethoven 5th recital in a future blog post and let's hope you can scrounge up a pic of that bow you took to the adoring crowd.
DeleteI own a copy of Immortal Beloved as Gary Oldman is one of my very favourite actors and Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major always makes me cry. I'm hands down Team Beethoven as I connect with his music on an emotional level. I think Amadeus turned me against Mozart a little, which I realize is entirely unfair, but there it is...
ReplyDeleteI listened to Piano No. 5 last night with Daniel Barenboim for the first time within memory in it's entirety. So lovely!
DeleteWe must get you & Mozart to reconcile my dear Jen....life's too short.
Totally agree with your interpretation of Tom Hulce's cinematic portrayal of Mozart. A sad disaster. That said, Beethovine's 9th always gives me the chills. Good luck scalping tickets.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer and fortunately ticket scalping in Chicago is still only the province of sporting events and pop concerts. When tickets are donated back to our CSO or Lyric Opera, the ticket office most often sells that back at face value and Orchestra Hall often has tickets in the very affordable $20-25 range.
DeleteWell, I have a very soft spot for Bach, and other Baroque period composers with Vivaldi and Handel (Zadok the Priest - sublime) and La Folia by Lully being favourites. I fear that Mozart has been used so much for everything from Car advertisements to movie soundtracks that it can sound a little hackneyed… Beethoven also suffers from this. I played violin from the age of 4… this is the soundtrack of my youth (while young to learn, I was not in the same genius camp as Mozart I'd hasten to say)! I loved Amadeus, but agree with you on that irritating laugh.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I loathe hearing Beethoven or Mozart being used in an advert. To this day, I can't say 'Lexus' out loud without a scowl of derision due to their Xmas advert of years ago that featured the 9th and I think the last 'action movie' I ever attended featured the oh so suave Bruce Willis, really bad dialog, with 'Ode to Joy' "surround-sounding" me...and my only thoughts were "just kill the 'hostages'...."
DeleteFunny, my earliest musical memory is of Beethoven's Pastoral. I remember lying beneath the piano bench imagining the lambs in the storm. I was holding my little blue toy lamb; Bah Bah.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Duchess! As a boy, I listened to B's 9th 2nd Movement with the exhilarating sensation of riding atop a charger to slay dragons on behalf of fair maidens. I was holding my toy broadsword; en garde.
DeleteOpps my comment disappeared. Just have to say i've murdered all ghe greats on my violin durinf formative years
ReplyDeleteBut love them still. After a few years in the school orchestra i learned to keep my bow raised just a draction above the strings so no one rolled in graves after that
ReplyDeleteI was never even able to manage that; I'll put on Bolero' and have a pitcher of 'Camino' sangria tonight to be there with you in spirit Jody...your 'cool' factor is sky high in the Den !
DeleteOh, Mozart and Bach; in former times I played harpsichord. Yes, piano as well. That said, now I'll listen to Beethoven this am while reading the paper. The clarinet in the Mozart concerto used in "Out of Africa"-- is there a more elegant piece of music?
ReplyDeleteLane, you played the harpsichord? That must be a rare treat as I assume harpsicords are even difficult to find these days. I am listening to Mozart's Clarinet Concerto used in Out of Africa this very minute and it does seem well chosen for that movie although I haven't seen the movie the youtube vid does show some scenes of the great plains where that music seems fittingly evocative.
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