Matthew Guerrieri: "The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-12-18/matthew-guerrieri-first-four-notes-beethovens-fifth-and-human-imagination
The opening phrase of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is one of the most widely recognized in music. It has mystified musicians, historians and philosophers for 200 years. Music critic Matthew Guerrieri says it's "short enough to remember and portentous enough to be memorable." Listeners agree it says something powerful and profound, but none can agree on what that might be. Guerrieri considers what could have influenced Beethoven when he wrote those four notes. And he describes how the motif has been interpreted around the world and throughout history. Join Diane and her guest for new insights into the music, the composer and the Fifth Symphony's lasting influence.
Guests
Matthew Guerrieri
music critic for The Boston Globe and responsible for the classical music blog, Soho the Dog.
The First Movement Of Beethoven's 5th Symphony
Read An Excerpt
Excerpt from "The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination" by Matthew Guerrieri. Copyright 2012 by Matthew Guerrieri. Reprinted here by permission of Knopf. All rights reserved.
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
Great discussion and nice break from the CT horror.
The comment about the French declaring Beethoven a Belgian so that they could enjoy the music without seeming to like anything German reminded me of a a famous old joke:
Q: Who are the world champions in false advertising?
A: The Austrians because they convinced the world that Beethoven was an Austrian and Hitler was a German.
Poor Matthew; the Diane Rehm Show's SECOND hour is not broadcast in Boston so his friends could not hear this wonderful program! Here's an idea: I'm sure there will be repeat shows on December 24th, December 25th, December 31st and January 1st. I think that this program would be an excellent choice for a repeat in the FIRST hour so WGBH-FM in Boston could broadcast it. (I live north of Boston, so I listened to it, and called in, via New Hampshire Public Radio's WEVO-FM in Concord).
What conductor and ensemble closed out the Beethoven 5th symphony program? That was one wonderful interpretation of the first movement. Can you provide details about the recording and its availability?
Please bring to Ms. Rehm's attention a book entitled "Beethoven's Hair" by Russell Martin (Broadway Books). It is the story of a DNA study of Beethoven's hair and concludes that his deafness was caused by lead poisoning. All of his life he suffered from stomach ailments and other symptoms consistent with lead poisoning. He contracted and sustained this poisoning from a lifelong habit of eating and drinking out of the same lead bowls, plates, cups, and spoons. The scientific consensus is that this is what caused his deafness, and certainly not tinnitus. There is no particular record of him complaining about tinnitus, because he probably didn't have it.
Thank-you
I was so intrigued by this interview that I had to order this book. I have a very eclectic taste in music and Beethoven's 5th is by far my favorite of all genres. I am looking forward to learning more about Beethoven. Thank you so much for having such an incredible show Diane.