Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 | Thomas Hengelbrock and the Orchestre de Paris

It is perhaps the most cheerful of Beethoven's symphonies, performed here with such lightness of step and deft elegance: Conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock, the Orchestre de Paris performs Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60, at a 2017 concert held at the Philharmonie de Paris.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed his fourth symphony in 1806, in a comparatively short amount of time. The March 1807 premiere was held in private, conducted by the composer himself, the first public performance being given in November of that same year. The Symphony No. 4 was well received during the composer's lifetime, but fell under later criticism. When held up against Beethoven's monumental Symphonies Nos. 3, 5, and 9 – it appears somewhat flat, less pregnant with meaning. The sunny nature of the Fourth should not however obscure the fact that it, too, is an expression of a theme which lay outside the usual bounds of music, and a formidable one at that; the theme of freedom.

Beethoven had been previously preoccupied with his opera Fidelio – the paradigm of the ‘rescue opera’ genre. An initial version was premiered in 1805, the second incarnation appearing in March of 1806. Beethoven's fourth symphony may be considered a continuation of Fidelio’s theme of liberation. The first movement, for instance, begins with a slow, brooding introduction, upon which the fast, lilting main theme bursts in like a liberating strike. Beethoven also references his sole opera in movements which follow. There is, however, an additional, programmatic parallel between Beethoven's Fourth and Fidelio: Both pieces deal with love. In the opera, the theme is openly played out, yet in the Symphony No. 4 it is expressed as a gesture, or a mood. Beethoven was experiencing a contented love affair with the Countess Josephine Deym von Stritetz while he was composing his fourth symphony.

(00:00) I. Adagio – Allegro vivace
(12:05) II. Adagio
(21:49) III. Menuetto – Trio: Allegro vivace – Un poco meno allegro
(27:21) IV. Allegro ma non troppo

© EuroArts Music International

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