Nine symphonies, centuries of change
Charlotte Smith
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
On April 2, 1800, Beethoven premiered the first of his symphonies. Twenty-four years, one month and five days later he conducted his ninth. From those nine works, everything changed. Everything? Pretty much. The sense of what music could be, what its span could encompass, these concepts Beethoven had created anew. And he had, perhaps above all, established a new focal point for music. Composers for centuries afterwards would, consciously or not, internalise and process what Beethoven had accomplished and the German’s voice would become entwined with their own. Artists would measure themselves against this locus of the symphonies, their admirers (and critics) assessing their standing in the world through, amongst other things, their performances of “the Nine”.
All of which, of course, still goes on. The Gramophone office was abuzz some weeks ago because a hitherto somewhat underrated conductor, Emmanuel Krivine, had delivered a superb set of the Beethoven symphonies. It is abuzz again as I write this, because Riccardo Chailly’s long-awaited set has just arrived. For a major conductor to wait until his late fifties to set down his interpretation of these works is unusual. But such is the esteem in which Chailly is held that, despite the vast competition, it is a fair bet he has something unique to say.
His recording will be reviewed next issue, but for this issue’s fascinating cover story (and to heighten the anticipation), Chailly and Gramophone writer Philip Clark attempt to pin down the lines of influence from Beethoven to the composers who followed, in every sense. I think you will be surprised at some of their conclusions.
A quick word, unusually I grant, about this issue’s One To Watch (our young artist showcase). I first heard the Ukrainian violinist Valeriy Sokolov several years ago at an EMI sales conference. He achieved the uncommon feat of rendering Saint-Saëns almost frighteningly intense. Sokolov has bided his time until he felt ready and now his first big concerto recording is set to be released. He could be something truly special.
