THIS PAST SUMMER I HEARD/SAW THE BOSTON SYMPHONY AT TANGLEWOOD CONDUCTED BY BERNARD HAITINK PLAYING THE EROICA. IT WAS VERY GOOD. THIS YEAR HAITINK HAS EMERGED AS A BEETHOVEN SPECIALIST.........OF COURSE HAITINK, 77 YEARS OLD, IS FAMOUS ALL OVER THE WORLD, HAVING BEEN THE CONDUCTOR OF THE CONCERTGEBOW AMONG OTHER ORCHESTRAS. HE AND THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC HAVE RECORDED ALL THE BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES, AND NOW THIS GROUP IS AT AVERY FISHER HALL TONIGHT PLAYING THE 4TH AND SIXTH SYMPHONIES. THE SIXTH, THE PASTORAL, IS MORE.FAMILIAR TO MOST PEOPLE THAN THE FOURTH, BUT THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR IT PLAYED BY A SUPERB ORCHESTRA, LED BY A FINE CONDUCTOR..
OF COURSE, THE AUDIENCE, AS THEY USUALLY DO, GAVE A STANDING OVATION.
(I FIND THAT SO ANNOYING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY DO IT EVERY TIME. THEN THE STANDING OVATION LOSES ALL SIGNIFICANCE.)
SOMETIMES, WHEN I GO TO A BEETHOVEN CONCERT, THE SHEER GENIUS OF THIS TITAN OVERWHELMS ME. I TRY TO IMAGINE WHAT EFFECT THESE NEW, POWERFUL COMPOSITIONS MUST HAVE HAD ON THE AUDIENCES OF HIS TIME, THE GRANDEUR, THE UNRELENTING, GLORIOUS SOUNDS, THE PLAIN COURAGE IT TOOK TO WRITE THIS NEW MUSIC, THE NEW DIRECTIONS IN WHICH HE WAS TAKING MUSIC.
VIVA, LUDWIG!!!!
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