Classical Music Mayhem!!

Here's a quote from Beethoven by Alan Pryce-Jones:

"A large public, nourished on the symphonic shapes and colors which derive from Beethoven, discovered - largely through the prompting of Richard Strauss and Stravinsky - that Handel and Mozart and Haydn offered musical thought as rich and varied.

"In consequence of this discovery it became fashionable to admire that part of Beethoven's music in which he gave a special subtlety to universal emotions without losing the sense of their breadth - in particular, the quartets. To ears accustomed to the sensuous scoring of the Russians, to the astringency of Central Europe, to French delicacy and Spanish rhythm, the symphonies inevitably lost their original air of powerful innovation . . . And so, as the symphonies recede, little by little, in critical estimation, the chamber music . . . is generally accepted as the supreme example of Beethoven's art."

I wasn't aware that the symphonies are receding in critical estimation. Does anyone know what he's talking about?

Just another journalist creating copy from nothing I guess.

Of course if his idea of what Beethoven should sound like is that of the old Teutonic school then, if there is a problem, he himself is part of it.

Or rather an ex-journalist...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2000/feb ... bituaries3

More on his career here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pryce-Jones

It is all too easy to take Beethoven for granted, and from the many lamentable recordings there are of his music one suspects many of the great and the good are guilty of that heinous crime. And when others try a fresher newer approach they are knocked down by these old-school farts who are not really interested in Beethoven anyway.

I have heard it said that Beethoven was lacking melodically. This seems to be the greatest criticism brought against him and his music. I don't know how anyone can come to this conclusion, but it has certainly been asserted on more than one occasion.

I concur, though where such ideas originate from I have no idea. From people who haven't heard much Beethoven I suspect!

Here's a link to the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Great-Lives-Alan-Pryce-Jones/dp/1436690331


Out here in Nashville, Beethoven's symphonies always fill up the concert halls. We even have a Beethoven festival in the summer, where you are wined and dined and treated to an evening of something Beethovenian. If there's a receding, the recession hasn't hit here yet.

I too think that the journalist made idle remarks.
Maybe, what caused his impression, is something more favourable.
Maybe the increasing interest (of the large public, not of critics!) in Beethoven's chamber music is due to the simple fact that more people knows it. The level of musical culture of the average amateur has been increased by many causes (for instance more easily available recordings ...). Chamber music is a more exclusive, esoteric genre than orchestral music.

What I find very silly is the need to lessen great things.

In Sardinian we have the word "ispanta-carrelas" someone who loves to amaze "the street" (=the neighborood) ... in futile ways, of course.

I think more folks know the symphonies...they're more radio-licious than the quartets or other chamber music--much of it. What I will suggest, and I've long thought this, is that Both the Quartets and the Sonatas offer a better representation of Beethoven's compositional tendencies and their evolution. This is especially true of the late quartets, as they represent the best picture of what I consider the late style to encompass. The symphonies do get into Beethoven's marvelous orchestration, it's true. But I think if one had to pick one genre that showed B's work in it's breadth best, I think the symphonies would be the last of the three mentioned. Please don't read that as suggesting that they're not fantastic. And as to what that author was talking about...seems like gibberish, especially as regards Strauss and Stravinsky shaping public opinion. But an idea that Beethoven offers a landscape richer than the combined work of Handel, Mozart, and Haydn, well, that's sort of silly too.

I certainly don't think that Beethoven's symphonies are receding. Maybe it's simply that there is so much more new music being discovered and recorded today (much of it of very high quality), than there used to be. Instead of classical music stations filling up their hours with endless recordings of Beethoven, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart, the listening public has now matured and so there's much more diversity.

That doesn't reflect at all on the quality of Beethoven's music, nor his popularity, nor his critical aclaim.

The Nashville Symphony opened its season with Beethoven's Lenore No. 3, Piano Concerto No. 3, and Symphony No. 3. It was sold out. They also put a projector outside, and people sat in the rain to watch it.

He's still big out here.

Those hillbillies ain't no fools!

I think Beethoven's string quartets are the worst example of his art! The wind chamber music is much more interesting and melodious.

Ah you're just being provocative! If not I look forward to you elaborating upon these perceived flaws in my topics on Beethoven's quartets (check the chamber forum index). In the same spirit I look forward to your gushing praise in the wind chamber music topics.

This is my general impression: they may be technically flawless, but sound tedious instead of artful.

You mean you've heard tedious recordings, of which there are many. Learn to differentiate poor material from poor performances and you may yet become a god. If you can justly demonstrate that the samples I provide in my topics are tedious I'll promote you directly to god status!

Otherwise this is just the kind of idle talk that one usually reads at classical music forums, but not here...