What was Beethoven's life like in real life, Roman Roland said. Roland said truthfully: is poor, disabled, lonely, painful life. Since childhood, his mother died early, his father had no ability to live, extremely poor. When he grew up, he was deaf and couldn't sell his hard-earned compositions for more than a few dollars, so he couldn't even make ends meet. And for a man with so many feelings, there was no love. It's tragic. Despite Beethoven's words: "Pain for pleasure. He composed his Ninth Symphony, the Ode to Joy. It may have brought joy and comfort to the world. But I don't think it brought him any joy. He lived in depression, and the strongest proof of this is that he died two years later, at the age of fifty.
Because the state of happiness in the nature of his life remained unchanged. The happiness in the essence of life doesn't change with romance, it changes with real life. Life is always real! Happiness is always real!
Beethoven always loved Schiller's works, especially the Ode to Joy. Legend has it that at the age of 19, Beethoven wanted to express this ode in music. Beginning in 1809, Beethoven continued to think about the structure of the symphony, and the conception of the choral theme for the fourth movement is reflected in his other works. But it was not until 1822 that formal writing began, and it was completed two years later.
On May 7, 1824, in Vienna, this masterpiece of human music was premiered. Beethoven had to sit in the orchestra because he was already totally deaf and unable to conduct. Because of his previous mistakes in conducting performances when he was totally deaf, he dared to sit with his back to the audience. The premiere of this great work was a great success, but at this point Beethoven could no longer hear the applause and cheers of the audience. It was only when one of the musicians told him to turn around that he realized his success and burst into tears.
But who remembers that when the symphony's premiere was an artistic success, after deducting the expenses of the performance, the composer was paid a miserable 420 gulden, not counting the miscellaneous incidentals that had to be paid? When friends handed Beethoven the bill, the composer crossed off the ......
Beethoven, at that time, was in an extremely difficult period of spiritual and material life.In the early 1820s in Europe, it was Napoleon's First Empire of France after the collapse of the four major powers decided to restore feudal monarchy at the Congress of Vienna, and quickly set up the Holy Alliance. After the fall of Napoleon's First French Empire, the four major powers decided to restore feudal monarchy at the Congress of Vienna, and quickly set up the Holy Alliance to suppress revolutions in Europe. Beethoven himself, poor and sick, had to take great pains to care for his unprofitable nephew. In these circumstances, Beethoven still created this most joyful of human voices!
In any case, Beethoven left us such a valuable legacy, we have no reason not to cherish. There are numerous versions of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and the one that is recognized as the best is the live recording by German conductor Wilihelm Furtwangler in July 1951 at the Bayreuth Festival. It seems that the old Furtwangler is also the first to perform other works at this Wagner-specific festival. Beethoven's Ode to Joy awakened the tattered souls of the post-war world and gave hope to future generations.
It's just as well that I've brought back this one from EMI's Greatest Recordings of the Century series, so without further ado, let's get started.
[color=blue]The first movement, the not-so-fast, somewhat solemn Allegro. [/color]The bass strings at the beginning loom large, as the Music Bible calls them, "like the demons of Arabian mythology disappearing in a column of smoke". Is this breathtaking background a reference to the historical regression of the Holy Alliance in Europe at that time? Soon a new theme emerges, with a déjà vu of the timpani behind it. Beethoven's use of the timpani was a masterpiece, from the Violin Concerto in D major to the Ninth Symphony, the timpani always made a lasting impression. Many fragments pirouette to form two great waves, culminating in a mutually struggling ascent. Then back to the beginning, a recapitulation of the theme. The final series of sustained basses seems to foreshadow some kind of unspecified, what has been described as a tragic end. (To be honest, I didn't get much out of this movement)
[color=blue]The second movement, a lively Allegro. [Beethoven departed from the "Allegro-Adagio-Minuet or Harmonica-Allegro" of the symphony, which was created by Haydn and perfected in his own hands, and made bold use of the Allegro in the second movement, for after the tragedy of the first movement, Beethoven's second movement was a very lively one, with the Allegro being the first of the two. After the tragedy of the first movement, positive action is needed. Introduced by the extremely impactful drumming, the harmonic has been called by some Beethoven's greatest harmonic. Different motives and images are interwoven in this movement, which is slightly idyllic, a little minuet-like, but with a distinctly disturbing quality. It is clear that this bafflingly vulgar quest for joy is at best a petty banter, and not Beethoven's cup of tea. The composer therefore brought the theme to a hasty conclusion.
[color=blue]The third movement, the sung contrapuntal-medium tempo line-contrapuntal. [/color]This movement is also uncharacteristic in its use of a slow movement where a harmonic should be, a reflection on the first two movements. The song-like contrapuntal movement, led by the mystical colors, carries a lyrical poetry that expresses the composer's subtle inner feelings. The second theme, a line with a dance-like style, appears in variations, enriching the contemplative melody. Yet, this beautiful one made me drowsy, as Beethoven recorded in his manuscripts the lyrics he would have liked to include, "Oh no, not that, what I asked for was something else that gives pleasure." A few dissenting trumpets rudely interrupted the meditation. Joy, not something that could be obtained by meditation, needed to be earned by the people themselves!
[color=blue]Fourth movement, Allegro - not too fast Allegro - very fast Allegro - Allegro - very fast Allegro - lively, march-like Allegro -solemn march-allegro always full of life-allegro not too much-allegro moderately soft-allegro very fast. [/color]The extreme turbulence and sublimity of thought in this movement is evident from this title. This movement has become a monument in the history of human music. Unlike all previous symphonies, the fourth movement is the center of the work and the climax of the work, and the previous three movements, are entirely in the service of this movement.
At the outset, the brass, cello, and percussion set the tone of the movement with an unadorned cadenza that Wagner called a "horrific horn ensemble". The themes of the first three movements, which appear in turn after the basses' declamation, are quickly dismissed by the cellos and basses. I remember that when Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was introduced on CCTV's A History of Symphonic Music, this very graphic montage was used: after Karajan conducted the Berlin Philharmonic to play the theme of each of the first three movements, it then quickly switched to a full-screen black subtitle that read, "Not this one! Not this one", "No! Not this one either!" Then comes the movie scene of Beethoven's restlessness while composing. According to the manuscript, Beethoven was going to introduce the human voice right here. After three negative dialogues, the hidden Ode to Joy theme is brought to the foreground by the cello, then sublimated by the viola, violin, and wind section, and the reappearance of the "ghastly horn ensemble," the baritone finally begins to come out on Beethoven's behalf to answer explicitly: "Ah, my friend, don't repeat the same old story, but let Beethoven answer clearly. Let us not rehash the same old tune, but let us make a joyful chorus of happier songs!" Then, the popular "Ode to Joy" was finally presented to the people:
"The goddess of joy is holy and beautiful,
and her light shines brightly on the earth.
We have come to your sanctum sanctorum with fiery zeal
.
...... "
Solos or repetitions lead into the verses, which are then repeated by the chorus, with shifting and rising tones.
Then the orchestra introduced the tenor solo with a percussion-infused, march-like interlude that turned the carol into a battle cry for light as well.
After a choral repetition, there was another expansive interlude from the orchestra. Immediately afterward, the Ode to Joy was sung by the chorus at a new tempo, with even more bravura. It then shifts to a solemn line, where the choir sings in a chant-like style of veneration of heaven. However, heaven is, after all, out of reach, and this theme is soon intertwined with that of the Ode to Joy in a passionate expression of praise for the Creator.
An urgent string section, leading into a magnificent quartet, begins the final variation of Ode to Joy. The tempo picks up, the chorus and percussion gradually join in, the atmosphere rises, and joy envelops the land. The whole song reaches its climax in a storm of fervor, ending with a call for unity and love for all mankind and a triumphant pursuit of joy.