´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic
Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)
Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Nikolaus Harnoncourt (conductor)
1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brioÂ
2. Larghetto
3. Scherzo
4. Allegro molto
The first years of the new century were a time of torment and even despair for Beethoven. In October 1802 he wrote the famous Heiligenstadt Testament , a lengthy letter to his brothers which, though never actually sent, expressed most eloquently the trauma of increasing deafness which he had to endure. In this moving and highly personal document Beethoven contemplates suicide, but rejects it because his sense of mission prevails: "Only it, my art, held me back. It seemed to me impossible to quit the world until I had produced all I felt it in me to produce; and so I reprieved this wretched life."
Since the Symphony No 2 is contemporary with this crisis, it makes a particularly interesting example of the relationship between a composer's life and his art. If viewed in this way, the symphony confirms Beethoven as a classical rather than a romantic artist, for only in the first movement's slow introduction is a sense of passionate intensity approaching personal grief to be found. Instead the symphony, taken as a whole, is an exuberant and lively composition of not inconsiderable power: if it proves anything, it proves that creativity can drive out despair.
A review of the premiere, which took place in the Theater an der Wien on 5th April 1803, makes interesting reading: "The First Symphony is better than the later one because it is developed with lightness and is less forced, while in the Second the striving for the new and unexpected is already more apparent. However, it is obvious that both are not lacking in surprising and brilliant passages of beauty."
The Symphony opens with an extended introduction, at once eloquent and deeply felt, producing a mood of tension and mystery. These tensions eventually release the movement proper, which abounds in vigorous activity, and this characteristic pervades all the thematic material. The long coda is especially dramatic, anticipating that of Beethoven's next symphony, the celebrated Eroica .
In the ³¢²¹°ù²µ³ó±ð³Ù³Ù´ÇÌý the sonata principle is in evidence once again, but the mood is now far more leisurely, and in fact the music's style recalls that of the eighteenth century serenade. The melodic inspiration is admirable, and it is always treated with subtlety and carefully balanced textures, emphasised by orchestral colouring. Trumpets and drums are omitted altogether, while special attention is given to the clarinets and bassoons.
The Scherzo  is lively, its drama stemming from sudden changes of rhythm, texture and dynamic, with highly individual scoring based upon the contrasts between the different orchestral sections. The central trio section has a more leisurely character, though in truth it is given relatively little chance to impose its personality.
The finale abounds in liveliness and wit, its principal theme immediately setting the agenda, until the second subject brings a more lyrical outlook in the form a quiet dialogue between woodwind and strings. But the music's onward momentum remains paramount, and in the closing stages there is a genuinely powerful exuberance, which in retrospect can be seen as a significant landmark in the evolution of the classical style.
© Terry Barfoot
