Friends, I hope that you forgive me for the belatedness of the post - it is meant, not for the 17th of December, but the 16th, the day that Ludwig van Beethoven was born centuries ago and the day that my little brother was born this year. So, in light of the ceremony that this date occasions, I have yet another enduring piece of Beethoven to offer, probably a bit that you recognize from the thirty second previews that Windows Media Player gives you when you get a new computer.
It starts with those dramatic octave drops in the strings, a response in the timpani, and a resolution in the strings.
Then it is a Beethoven "Scherzo" - and all awesomeness proceeds from there.
Also, if you would like to peruse the poem on which the lyrics of the fourth movement were based, follow this link: http://raptusassociation.org/ode1785.html.
Beethoven mainly used Schiller's lyrics, except for an introduction to the text which was to be sung by a baritone soloist with a translation something like this: "Oh friends, no more of these tones - let us sing songs more full of joy!" (this is a rough paraphrase).
However, I thought that this song was fitting for the birth of my brother today (even if it is the chaotic second movement) because the song always evokes in my mind the image of the tumult of creation as I imagine it - and the very last movement, once the people start singing, is like man's celebration of the sheer joy (die Freude!) of being alive. La joie de vivre! So enjoy a portion of one of the pieces that I consider a testament to the beauty of life.
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