Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 - Gossec: Symphonie à dix-sept parties
9/18/2020, 8 Tracks, 54:30
Featuring
François-Xavier Roth
Les Siècles
Ludwig van Beethoven
François-Joseph Gossec
Did you know?
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Interpretation
The Harmonia Mundi project aims to perform Beethoven's symphonies on period instruments and alongside other significant works of his time.
Historical Context
Beethoven was fascinated by the humanist ideals of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he initially considered the 'Saviour of the Revolution'.
Composer Biography
Beethoven even dreamed of moving to Paris, a city that symbolized for him the uprising of an entire people.
Recording & Production
This album is part of a Harmonia Mundi collection running from Beethoven's 250th birth anniversary to his 200th death anniversary (2020-2027).
Composition History
François-Joseph Gossec, a French symphonist, was extremely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and directly influenced Beethoven's compositional parameters.
Compositional Technique
Gossec's Symphonie à dix-sept parties, almost contemporary with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, shows modernity in its scoring and rich writing for wind instruments and timpani.
Historical Context
French wind players during Gossec's time were renowned worldwide for their virtuosity and technical prowess.
