王四五

on ^flora^

It's in the Eroica that for the first time everyone is convinced this really is Beethoven's voice. The extraordinary thing about the premiere of Beethoven 3rd was that it was done of course in a very small room, in the Locales Palace, but I think the biggest problem that many people had with it was that it went on much too long. It was too loud, interfered too much with their conversation, those of them who were not really music fans. And they thought it was rather a monstrosity, a great car bungler's symphony.

You cannot believe that human being can invent that. As a musician, I must say it is incredible. One cannot believe the melodies are so simple, the motif is so simple. Every break is simple, but the building is incredible.

The Eroica was a sensation because of its dimension. The symphony could last half an hour but never annoying. Absolutely not. The dimensions of the first movement are the dimensions of the whole symphony of Mozart or Haydn. You will hear the development of harmony, the development of melody, the development of richness. There was no symphony before which was so obvious connected with his story. And it tells you so much without being the program music.

The eroica symphony, the story of a hero, was originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, the great republican. But when Napoleon crowned himself emperor, Beethoven flew into a rage. The name Bonaparte is no violently erased that there is a hole in the score.

I believe that the Eroica was about Beethoven himself. It's the first piece in which he clearly shows us the kinds of sounds that appear in his ears, this deaf noise is brebrebre…..which becomes a recurring mode in every other piece after this time. And then of course finally this wild blast movements, pyrotechnical display of counterpoint on the most tribute of subjects as if to say that his last drill is supreme. He can now take the stage as a successor of Mozart and Haydn.