Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, I. Allegro con brio
It’s the most famous piece of classical music of all time – a Philharmonia recording of this movement was even chosen to travel on the Voyager spacecraft, to show anyone else in the universe the heights of human culture and achievement. But why? Listen to how Beethoven builds a whole structure out of that opening four-note pattern – sometimes the instruments of the orchestra seem to be throwing it to each other like a ball, sometimes it reappears quietly and slowly builds up in overlapping layers, and sometimes the whole orchestra is playing it in unison, giving it everything they’ve got.
If you enjoyed this, check out our Beethoven playlist: • Beethoven (Philharmonia Orchestra)
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