Beethoven's Choral Fantasy
This morning on the train, I listened to the recording of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with Leon McCawley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which I'd gotten along with Der Glorreiche Augenblick. Whether because I was in the right mood or because of the performance, I especially enjoyed hearing it this time. It's in two sections. The first is for just the piano, and McCawley takes it more broadly than other recordings that I've heard, which I like. Beethoven very likely improvised that section at the first performance and then wrote it down (yeah, he was the kind of guy who could do that).
The second part clearly anticipates the "Ode to Joy" of the Ninth Symphony. The orchestra sneaks in as if on tiptoe, then kicks around a three-note short-short-long motif as if daring the pianist to do something with it. He does, with a tune which has a distant but genuine relationship to the Ode to Joy. As in the Ninth Symphony, it does through a series of variations, and then the chorus comes in with its own treatment of the same tune. The words are similar in spirit to the Ode to Joy, if not as distinguished. Then the solo singers come in, leading to a grand finish.
It's a regular in concerts even though it requires bringing in a piano soloist, solo singers, and chorus, and with good reason.
The second part clearly anticipates the "Ode to Joy" of the Ninth Symphony. The orchestra sneaks in as if on tiptoe, then kicks around a three-note short-short-long motif as if daring the pianist to do something with it. He does, with a tune which has a distant but genuine relationship to the Ode to Joy. As in the Ninth Symphony, it does through a series of variations, and then the chorus comes in with its own treatment of the same tune. The words are similar in spirit to the Ode to Joy, if not as distinguished. Then the solo singers come in, leading to a grand finish.
It's a regular in concerts even though it requires bringing in a piano soloist, solo singers, and chorus, and with good reason.