Beethoven: Orchestral Works

Featuring

Rimma Sushanskaya
Mathilde Milwidsky
National Symphony Orchestra (London)
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Compositional Technique

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony was the first in symphonic history to add trombones and piccolo to the orchestra, creating a powerful new sound.

Composer Biography

Before his hearing deteriorated, Beethoven was not only an excellent pianist but also a competent violinist, participating in private chamber music gatherings.

Performer Biography

Mathilde Milwidsky, the violinist on this album, plays on a 1694 Stradivarius, generously lent to her by the Beare's International Violin Society.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Beethoven knew his worth as a composer from his earliest days, breaking free from the subservient attitude musicians previously had to adopt to earn a living.

Performer Biography

Rimma Sushanskaya, the conductor, was the last pupil of the internationally acclaimed violinist David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatoire.

Compositional Technique

The first movements of Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies share an identical four-note rhythm, used differently in each work.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven was fascinated by the concept of joining separate movements and creating large-scale symphonic movements from small, germ-like musical cells.