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Beethoven Revolution Vienna
Konzerthaus
06/24/2025 -
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphonies No.1 in C major, op.21, No.2 in D major, op.36, & No.4 in B‑flat major, op.60
Le Concert des Nations, Jordi Savall (conductor)
J. Savall (© Carlos Suarez)
After recording Beethoven’s nine symphonies for his record label, Alia Vox, Jordi Savall is touring the world performing the complete cycle. The nine works are performed over four evenings. I was fortunate enough to obtain entry to one of the sold‑out performances. Thoroughly appreciative of the recordings, I fully expected to enjoy the live experience. Happily, the results exceeded my expectations.
The sheer emotion in hearing Beethoven performed live in Vienna’s Konzerthaus, inaugurated in 1913, is beyond description. Despite innumerable Viennese visits, this was my first listening experience at the art nouveau venue. The 1,840 Großer Saal, the elegant venue, features excellent acoustics. It has a marginally bigger capacity than the venerable Musikverein, inaugurated in 1870.
Vienna, a pivotal city in the history of Western music, continues to be a magnet for music lovers worldwide. No wonder that the Konzerthaus audience and most of Vienna’s other venues are internationally frequented. Naturally, German predominates, but a lot of French, English, Japanese, Mandarin, Italian, and Russian was heard before the performance and during the intermission. There is a harmony in such a cosmopolitan atmosphere, confirming the universality of music, a reassuring message in troubled times.
In both the First and Second Symphonies, Savall started with a certain solemnity in the first movements; Adagio moltoes‑ Allegro con brio, in both. The second movements, Andante cantabile con moto in the First and Larghetto in the Second, are more relaxed and jovial. A lightheartedness and even humour takes over in both symphonies’ final movements. These two works were Beethoven’s first attempt at a musical form he eventually mastered and perfected. As such, they may be judged less significant. Nonetheless, they are gems in their own right.
Le Concert des Nations’ sound is brilliant, and particularly appropriate for this vision of Beethoven: agile and bright strings, nimble and light woodwinds, deep bass and cellos, roaring brass and prominent timpani. Contrasting with previous early music orchestras approaching this repertoire, their sound is rich and full. The early music movement, with its focus on period instruments, has come full circle since its emergence some four decades ago.
Often tackled as a lighthearted work, Savall’s approach to the Fourth Symphony is diametrically different from others. The opening of the first movement, Adagio, is somber, becoming more disturbing as the orchestra transitions to its Allegro vivace ending. The beauty of this performance was largely due to its gravitas and intensity. The second movement, Adagio, continues with this somber mood but allows some light in. Having established this darkness in the first two movements, the easing into a sense of relief in the third movement, Allegro vivace, and eventually joy followed by triumph in the fourth, Allegro ma non troppo, was both unsettling and spectacular. Thanks to Savall’s unique approach, one experienced a glorious symphony, with subtleties hitherto unappreciated.
Savall’s reading of the Fourth Symphony has altered my vision of it and its place among Beethoven’s symphonies. Heavy‑handed orchestras that continue to perform it in a “Romantic” style may learn from this revelatory interpretation. Hopefully, as more concertgoers experience Savall’s reading, there will be a new, markedly different appreciation of this symphony. What a delight to possibly witness history in the making.
Ossama el Naggar
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