# Beethoven Sym III



## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

A chronological survey of the opening chords of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb24c77zJ64#![/yt]
I love the fact that someone took time time to assemble this and it's probably more interesting than "power law" study we're discussing in another thread.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Nice find, Luna...this is pretty much me on a Saturday night when I'm not playing out and comparing recording after recording; except I do actually listen to the whole thing.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

You can tell when Hogwood, Norrington, Gardiner and Savall show up.


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## Eviticus (Dec 8, 2011)

Very interesting. You'd almost think some of them were not in e flat! Walter, Karajan and Bohm stuck the chords with me.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Listen to Vladimir Fedoseyev and then Jordi Savall straight after!


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Eviticus said:


> Very interesting. You'd almost think some of them were not in e flat! Walter, Karajan and Bohm stuck the chords with me.


Well, the period versions are definitely flat but there are at least three different pitches altogether. Why is that? I mean,...two, between period and modern makes since but variance among the modern orchestras doesn't quite add up as much to me. Anyway,...what I also find very interesting is the famous (and not so appealing) Toscanini flatness with zero natural reverberation. It's pretty bizarre. The von Karajan versions were pretty darned perfect as were the Bernstein and Leibowitz.

One that wasn't on there but is an excellent interpretation of the first movement is the Solti/LSO from the early nineties. I think it may have been made exclusively for the Gary Oldman movie but I'm not sure. It is on the soundtrack and it is a very clean and beautiful read of that piece not like your usual Solti with the CSO.


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## NightHawk (Nov 3, 2011)

Symphony No. 3, Op 55 in E something or other. Very interesting, indeed!


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## Eviticus (Dec 8, 2011)

kv466 said:


> Anyway,...what I also find very interesting is the famous (and not so appealing) Toscanini flatness with zero natural reverberation. It's pretty bizarre. The von Karajan versions were pretty darned perfect as were the Bernstein and Leibowitz.
> 
> One that wasn't on there but is an excellent interpretation of the first movement is the Solti/LSO from the early nineties. I think it may have been made exclusively for the Gary Oldman movie but I'm not sure. It is on the soundtrack and it is a very clean and beautiful read of that piece not like your usual Solti with the CSO.


Yeah i wonder if it's the recording technique used on the Toscanini because even if they muted the notes on the instruments straight after there would still be some natural reveb. Perhaps the recording was so weak then things sounded more staccato as reverb wasn't picked as well by the microphones? The reverb is immense on the 1990 recording. The pitches may have something to do with the positioning of the microphones. Bernstein has his typical brassy emphasis, and Levine's seems to really pick the percussion.

I agree about the von Karajan versions and Sawallisch also did a great version in 1993. Funny how from the 2 accented chords you can already tell a lot. I mean some of the tempo's seem way too fast - there is supposed to be a 2 beat rest before the 2nd chord - I think Leibowitz wanted an early night!


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