Documentary

Barenboim on Beethoven 13: The Fifth Symphony

A documentary by Christopher Nupen

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Cast

New Philharmonia Orchestra

Daniel Barenboim — Conductor

Program notes

The Barenboim on Beethoven series concludes with this spirited performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, with the young Barenboim at the helm of the New Philharmonia Orchestra. There is no motif in Western music more widely known or quoted than the one that opens Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, but the work only grows more interesting as it unfolds. The Andante is as soulful and stirring as anything in Beethoven’s oeuvre, and the transition from the mischievous Scherzo into the triumphant Finale is one of the most gloriously exultant moments in music, completing the mythic passage from the weighty darkness of the C minor first movement to a jubilant burst of light in C major.

A closer look: featured composers

Further listening: featured works

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