Van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony - just the first movement

[Sydney Grew]

What's it all about? What is going on?

(Please oblige by restricting responses to a discussion of the music itself. Don't let's turn this into just another otiose comparison of conductors!)

[Auferstehen2]

(Please oblige by restricting responses to a discussion of the music itself!)

With pleasure.

(At the start of the work), the birth of life.
(At the shattering cataclysmic earthquake midway through), THE war.
(At the end), the (temporary) triumph of evil.

And that's an honest answer.

Mario

[rauschwerk]

It's absolute music, and different listeners will describe it in different ways. If what it can be expresses can be put into words, then what is the point of the music?

[Bryn]

It's absolute music, and different listeners will describe it in different ways. If what it can be expresses can be put into words, then what is the point of the music?

Quite!

[MrGongGong]

I thought it was "about" a sequence of sounds made by instruments that are listened to by an audience (either in the same space or in a different place and time) ?

A "description of the music itself" would take far too many words and be incomplete .............

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I thought it was "about" a sequence of sounds made by instruments that are listened to by an audience (either in the same space or in a different place and time) ?

A "description of the music itself" would take far too many words and be incomplete .............

When first heard it, I played an LP of it to a friend at school, who said it sounded as though the orchestra was tuning up. Although I was rather upset by this reaction, I can see what he meant - the whole movement growing out of the bare 5ths of the opening. But what an incredible working out.

[MrGongGong]

When first heard it, I played an LP of it to a friend at school, who said it sounded as though the orchestra was tuning up. Although I was rather upset by this reaction, I can see what he meant - the whole movement growing out of the bare 5ths of the opening. But what an incredible working out.

Indeed
its a "shame" IMV what it turns into

I love this version though ..............
http://www.læyf.com/

because what you get is the sonic essence of the piece without the clutter

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I love this version though ..............
http://www.læyf.com/

because what you get is the sonic essence of the piece without the clutter

I'm just listening to this now. However, there's no such time as 12 a.m., even in Newcastle. This could mean 12 noon or 12 midnight. I assume it means 12 midnight, but this is by no means always the case - e.g. the restaurant that advertised itself as being open from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. (meaning noon 'til midnight, not the other way round).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thank you, Mr GG, but I'm finding this 9 B e e t S t r e t c h rather boring now...

[MrGongGong]

Thank you, Mr GG, but I'm finding this 9 B e e t S t r e t c h rather boring now...

That's the problem with the youth of today they have far too short an attention span
I find if one intersperses it with Webern's five pieces for orchestra then one has the perfect combination !

I usually "ban" the word "boring" when I work with students as 99% of the time it means something else (not a peer reviewed statistic ! )

[Sydney Grew]

Thanks to Mr. Auferstehen2 for a reply which, full of fecund suggestions, is exactly what I was hoping for and sends this thread off to a flying start!

And in response to Mr. Rauschwerk (in message 3) might I say that music, even when absolute, still reproduces and stimulates movements of the mind does it not. Absolute music may depict hope, despair, joy, confinement, and so on. Indeed Mr. A. K. Holland, a tremendous expert, in describing this first movement uses the words "on a different psychological plane," "the magnitude of its musical ideas," "mystery," "remorseless," "melting," "affirmation," "shadowy," "terrifying," "sinister," and all kinds of other things. So I suppose it is a discussion of things like that for which I am looking in this thread - and yes, I fully expect that the minds of different people will be moved in different ways.

And Mr. Alpensinfonie (in reply number six I mean) has a good contribution too, thank you so much.

[MrGongGong]

With pleasure.

(At the start of the work), the birth of life.
(At the shattering cataclysmic earthquake midway through), THE war.
(At the end), the (temporary) triumph of evil.

And that's an honest answer.

Mario

What has that got to do with "the music itself" ?????

(http://ebooks.cambridge.org/chapter....0511627309A010)

[rauschwerk]

And in response to Mr. Rauschwerk (in message 3) might I say that music, even when absolute, still reproduces and stimulates movements of the mind does it not.

Certainly. But just as Auferstehen's and Mr. Holland's remarks do not illuminate the music for me, I do not believe that a description of my reactions when listening to this piece is likely to be of any help to anyone else. I do not translate such feelings into words, even in my head.

[cloughie]

I'm just listening to this now. However, there's no such time as 12 a.m., even in Newcastle. This could mean 12 noon or 12 midnight. I assume it means 12 midnight, but this is by no means always the case - e.g. the restaurant that advertised itself as being open from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. (meaning noon 'til midnight, not the other way round).

Glad you mention this - it is as annoying as the inappropriate apostrophe. There's 12.01-12.59am or pm but if its 12.00noon or 12.00midnight, or 1200hours or 0000hours. How can the meridium be before the meridium? It's on it!

As for the 9th, any movement for me except the 4th - it totally spoils it. Actually when I saw the heading I thought somebody was complaining about the guest spot in EC!

[french frank]

Actually when I saw the heading I thought somebody was complaining about the guest spot in EC!

Me too! I thought it was a complaint about playing the first movement on its own. Then I saw it was Syd ...