Ludwig van Beethoven · Classification
1770–1827
1800 · Symphony · Vienna, Burgtheater
Tonality
Instruments
- 2 flutes
- 2 oboes
- 2 clarings
- 2 fages
- 2 tubes
- 2 trumpets and timbals
- Rope (violins, violas, cello and contrabajes)
From the atril
The First Symphony premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna in April 1800, at the first public concert organized by Beethoven for its own benefit. He was twenty-nine years old and was already famous as a pianist, but this was his presentation as a symphonist, on the direct wake of Haydn and Mozart.
From the first bar, Beethoven is surprised: the symphony, in major, begins with a dissonant chord that seems to be in another tone, a small challenge to the conventions. The allego is strong and bright, the walker has a very Haydn elegance, and the third movement, although called minueto, is actually a very fast scherzo, the kind of movement Beethoven would make its brand. The end begins with a joke: the violins go up the note-to-note scale, as if they were hesitant, before they throw themselves into the alimony. For the orchestra, it is a classic of the repertoire: light, bright and full of humor.
What to hear
- The dissonant chord from the beginning.
- The «minuet» which is already a scherzo.
- The flashing scale at the beginning of the end.
Listen
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21 (Complete) · AlAboutClassicalMusic
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