Program notes
Experience and enjoy, in a completely new way, the great works of classical music, from the Baroque to the modern period, thanks to a new series of audio-visual concert guides, Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music.
Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has the character of an appeal. From the very start, the four-note "fate" motif casts a spell on listeners. The German Beethoven expert Wulf Konold illustrates the ingenious variations of this motif on piano. With great insight, he also explains other features of this magnificent work, whose non-musical references inspired much speculation among the professional world, identifying the suspenseful moments of the work. The German musicologist Armin Koch provides his analysis.