BEETHOVEN SYMPHONIES Nos 2, 4 & 5
Friday 13 December 2019
7.30pm
BEETHOVEN Symphony No 2 (32’)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No 4 (34’)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No 5 (31’)
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ANDREW MANZE – Conductor
Can you imagine the audience of its 1808 premiere performance hearing it for the first time? Conductor Andrew Manze unleashes these hammer-blow accents, before leading us through the single most famous musical journey from expressive minor-key darkness to astounding major-key light.
The Fifth is performed alongside two of Beethoven’s least-played yet significant symphonies. Both the Second and Fourth have a joyful and humorous air - perhaps expressing the vitality that provided comfort to a composer confronted with deteriorating hearing.