Thursday (11/3) on The Guardian (Great Britain) online, conductor Mark Elder talks to Tom Service about five symphonies that mark turning points in the art form’s development. “Haydn’s 22nd Symphony, the so-called Philosopher—although nobody really knows why—is an extraordinary example of the range that he gave to the form. Nobody up to that time had thought of starting a symphony with a noble slow movement, as he does in this piece, nor had anybody ever thought of the extraordinary sound that the symphony begins with: a chorale played by two horns and two cor anglais against an incessant pattern of notes in the strings.” About Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, Elder says, “Through the symphony’s unusual form and inspirational level of intensity it creates huge emotional force and dramatic narrative. Everything is alchemised by that expressive power into new musical solutions. The first movement feels like a fantasia, a nightmare of its own that could almost stand alone as a piece in its own right.” Other symphonies discussed include Beethoven’s Third, Mahler’s Ninth, and Shostakovich’s Seventh.
Posted November 4, 2011
