Beethoven is celebrating his 250th today, so we celebrate with him by listening to one of my favorite pieces – the 2nd movement of the 9th Symphony. This is the scherzo movement, scherzo meaning “a vigorous, light, or playful composition, typically comprising a movement in a symphony or sonata.” (according to Oxford Languages) (And, for those of you old enough, you’ll recognize it as the theme for the NBC Nightly News with Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.)
Now, from the famous picture of Beethoven we’re familiar with, you wouldn’t think of him as a barrel of laughs. However, he was the master of the scherzo, transforming it from the minuets of Haydn into a new and even more exciting musical form. (See also the 3rd movement of the Symphony 7)
Here we have Wilhelm Furtwangler performing this with the Berlin Philharmonic. Enjoy!
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