happy birthday, lvb!

250 years ago today, Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized in Bonn, Germany. His birth date is agreed to have been December 16th, 1770. That’s one of my excuses for being a day late. The other is that I’ve been working on my new project and things just got out of hand.

I love a lot of Beethoven, am meh about some Beethoven, and really dislike very little Beethoven. I’ve had friends who actively dislike Beethoven, and we just have to agree to disagree. <shakes head>

In honor of Beethoven’s 250th, I’ve decided to give my list of my favorite Beethoven compositions (in no particular order). Let’s go!

String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130

The late period quartets are incredible masterpieces that have perhaps been equaled, but never surpassed. The B-flat quartet is where Beethoven really takes the gloves off of the form. He explodes from the usual four movements to six. He starts with a schizophrenic first movement full of contrast and drama, and ends with a colossal, almost impenetrable fugue (so much so that the publisher asked LvB to write an alternate ending). And right before that fugue is one of his most profound utterances, the Cavatina, a breaktakingly intimate song for four instruments.

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58

I love all of LvB’s piano concerti, but I have a soft spot for the Fourth. It’s the slow movement that does it, the Olympian call-and-response between the orchestra and the piano, leading from the most sublime and ethereal coda to one of the most joyous finales that Beethoven would ever compose.

Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 30/3

I first came to know this sonata from Midori’s debut album – which happened to be a live recording of her Carnegie Hall debut – and was struck by the energy and concentration of the piece. The Kreutzer gets most of the love, but I prefer this one.

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27/2 “Moonlight”

I just love the dark feel of the opening of this sonata. I’m sure it has a lot to do with the fact that Dmitri Shostakovich quoted and adapted this theme for the last movement of his last piece – his Viola Sonata of 1975. That aside, it’s such evocative writing that instantly puts you in a different headspace, and that’s good writing, I’d say.

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

It’s hard to pick just one symphony to put on this list – there might be another before I’m done – but if there’s one that I keep coming back to again and again, it’s the Seventh. I’m always a sucker for Beethoven slow movements, and if they happen to be variation movements, all the better, and that’s what we get here. As a performing violist, this is probably my least favorite to play, it’s a slog – especially the last movement – so tiring to play, but to listen to, it’s one of my favorites for sure.

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

This piece is completely under my skin. It starts with four timpani notes!! And then a gorgeous woodwind chorale. And it has the most beautiful slow movement, and, and, and…

That’s a start – enjoy LvB’s music the whole rest of the year, but better yet, pair it with some brand new music by some composers whose birthdays aren’t (yet) known to us!