This Week in Classical Music: December 13, 2020.Beethoven 250.The week has arrived, and the day is coming: the whole world will celebrate Beethoven’s 250th on December 16th.All the superlatives aside, it’s impossible to underestimate the significance of Beethoven’s music.One’s personal preferences may go to any other composer, from Bach to Mozart to Chopin and on, but very few people would argue that there was a more important composer in the history of the Western musical canon.We have only two things to add to the uniquely appropriate chorus of praises.One is this: very often, listening to and reading about the “pre-Beethoven” music, we find that in its development it is trailing behind other arts.Take, for the example, the greats of the musical Renaissance, Palestrina, Lasso and Victoria.Their creative years fall somewhere between 1550 and 1600.This is about 80 - 100 years behind the art of paining: Piero della Francesca created his magnificent Stories of the True Cross in the late 1450s, which is the time Andrea Mantegna painted some of his best work.Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was done in the mid-1480s, as were many of Leonardo’s masterpieces.The flowering of musical Renaissance came at a time when architecture was already well into the Baroque and so was painting, having already transitioned to the Mannerist period.This changed with Beethoven who emphatically brought music into the new era.His music sounded revolutionary during his time, and it sounds fresh today (even the most overplayed pieces, when played well).And once pushed, music stayed that way ever since: you cannot say that Klimt was ahead of Mahler or Picasso ahead of Stravinsky; if anything, music became one of the most “advanced” arts, many would say to its detriment.
Our second point is that it is Beethoven who serves as the touchstone for all performers.Wilhelm Furtwängler’s repertoire was broad, but he became known as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century because of his Beethoven.How many times have we all heard Beethoven’s Fifth?And still, when you hear it, for example, in Furtwängler’s mesmerizing performance from 1943 (just to think of the timing of it!) the effect is enormous.Beethoven is central to all major conductors, but of course not just to them: what pianist worthy of the name wouldn’t have many, if not all, of Beethoven’s sonatas in his or her repertoire?Even such an idiosyncratic performer as Glenn Gould recorded most of Beethoven’s sonatas.The same is true of violinist and chamber ensembles.
We mentioned last week that this year was supposed to be the Year of Beethoven.Instead, it became the Year of Covid – a terrible disease dominating great music.We know full well that one of them is temporary… Happy birthday, Beethoven!
Beethoven 250
This Week in Classical Music: December 13, 2020. Beethoven 250. The week has arrived, and the day is coming: the whole world will celebrate Beethoven’s 250th on December 16th. All the
superlatives aside, it’s impossible to underestimate the significance of Beethoven’s music. One’s personal preferences may go to any other composer, from Bach to Mozart to Chopin and on, but very few people would argue that there was a more important composer in the history of the Western musical canon. We have only two things to add to the uniquely appropriate chorus of praises. One is this: very often, listening to and reading about the “pre-Beethoven” music, we find that in its development it is trailing behind other arts. Take, for the example, the greats of the musical Renaissance, Palestrina, Lasso and Victoria. Their creative years fall somewhere between 1550 and 1600. This is about 80 - 100 years behind the art of paining: Piero della Francesca created his magnificent Stories of the True Cross in the late 1450s, which is the time Andrea Mantegna painted some of his best work. Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was done in the mid-1480s, as were many of Leonardo’s masterpieces. The flowering of musical Renaissance came at a time when architecture was already well into the Baroque and so was painting, having already transitioned to the Mannerist period. This changed with Beethoven who emphatically brought music into the new era. His music sounded revolutionary during his time, and it sounds fresh today (even the most overplayed pieces, when played well). And once pushed, music stayed that way ever since: you cannot say that Klimt was ahead of Mahler or Picasso ahead of Stravinsky; if anything, music became one of the most “advanced” arts, many would say to its detriment.
Our second point is that it is Beethoven who serves as the touchstone for all performers. Wilhelm Furtwängler’s repertoire was broad, but he became known as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century because of his Beethoven. How many times have we all heard Beethoven’s Fifth? And still, when you hear it, for example, in Furtwängler’s mesmerizing performance from 1943 (just to think of the timing of it!) the effect is enormous. Beethoven is central to all major conductors, but of course not just to them: what pianist worthy of the name wouldn’t have many, if not all, of Beethoven’s sonatas in his or her repertoire? Even such an idiosyncratic performer as Glenn Gould recorded most of Beethoven’s sonatas. The same is true of violinist and chamber ensembles.
We mentioned last week that this year was supposed to be the Year of Beethoven. Instead, it became the Year of Covid – a terrible disease dominating great music. We know full well that one of them is temporary… Happy birthday, Beethoven!