大象传媒

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven's early vocal music, including Adelaide and his only oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, with conductor Simone Young and pianist and writer Iain Burnside.

Beethoven was born into a family of singers. His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were both remarked on for their voices. Judging by contemporary accounts it seems that Beethoven himself wasn't similarly gifted. The librettist and lepidopterist Georg Friedrich Treitschke claimed that Beethoven would growl when he was composing; Beethoven's biographer Anton Schindler said that he howled, and Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries was of the view that his teacher did both. If those reports are true, then Beethoven's inability to produce a harmonious sound himself certainly didn't act as a deterrent to his compositional focus. A quick tally shows that somewhere in the region of half of his six hundred plus works were written for voice, mining subjects like love, persecution, loneliness, freedom, brotherhood and sacrifice, themes that Beethoven held very close to his heart.

Across the week Donald Macleod and his guests will be discussing some personal favourites from Beethoven's vocal music, taking in the giants of choral repertory like Missa Solemnis and the ninth symphony, his opera Fidelio and orchestral vocal music, as well as relishing the astonishing variety of his songwriting, from the song cycle An die Ferne Geliebte and the most profoundly moving vocal masterpieces, to a comic song most likely dashed off to amuse friends in a bar.

Today they consider whether Beethoven found writing for the voice more difficult than writing instrumental music.

Christus am 脰lberge (excerpt)
Final chorus
Chorus and National Orchestra of Lyon
Serge Baudo, director

Ein Selbstgespr盲ch
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Iain Burnside, piano

Adelaide
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Iain Burnside, piano

Funeral Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II (excerpt)
Tot! Tot, st枚hnt es durch die 枚de nacht
Chorus and Orchestra of Deutsche Oper, Berlin
Christian Thielemann, conductor

Christus am Olberge (excerpt)
James Anderson, tenor, Jesus
Monica Pick-Hieronimi, soprano, Seraph
Chorus & Orchestre National de Lyon
Serge Baudo, director

Aus Goethes Faust
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
J枚rg Demus, piano

Produced by Johannah Smith