Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 (1989)

Sir Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Recorded in Orchestra Hall, Chicago, May 1988.

Symphony No. 6 is programmatic and has five movements, rather than the four typical of symphonies of that era. Beethoven annotated the beginning of each movement as follows:

1. Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country: Allegro ma non troppo
2. Scene at the brook: Andante molto mosso
3. Happy gathering of country folk: Allegro
4. Thunderstorm; Storm: Allegro
5. Shepherds' song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm: Allegretto

The piece premiered in 1808 and is one of Beethoven's more popular symphonies. I prefer the first two movements to the others, but it is an enjoyable piece throughout. You can find further notes on the symphony here, or simply search for others. Most orchestras post their program notes online.

The recording ends with the Leonore Overture No. 3, which is often tacked on to the end of Beethoven recordings to fill up space. It's not my favorite piece, but often heard because it comes from Beethoven's only opera. It's very bombastic but contains a trumpet fanfare that is an orchestral excerpt every professional trumpet player knows well.

This recording is amazing. Solti steps back and lets the music take center stage. The orchestra plays magnificently. My only complaint would be that the dynamic range is so true that the quiet sections are almost too quiet. But I guess I'd rather have that than compression.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My father had a LP recording of this that I played a few times when I was young; it may be the first Beethoven symphony (or any symphony, for that matter) that I ever heard in its entirety.

On a trip to Washington, DC a few years ago, I heard the National Symphony Orchestra perform this work at the Kennedy Center. I loaded this CD to my iPhone so that I could hear the work on the flight from Houston to DC. Musicians might find it funny that the performance was sponsored by General Dynamics.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Symphonies No. 5 & No. 7 (1988)
Piano Sonatas Nos, 3, 21, & 30 (1987)
"Choral" Symphony No. 9, Op. 125 (1983)