Episode 11 of Classical Introductions features Beethoven’s fifth symphony. The recording I used for this podcast can be found here.

Few composers can be said to have changed the face of music forever, but Ludwig van Beethoven is one of those rare exceptions. This episode of Classical Introductions looks at his fifth symphony, and specifically at how the incredibly famous four opening notes influence the rest of the symphony. Beethoven’s innovative spirit can be found throughout this masterpiece, from the introduction of entirely new instruments in the trombones and tuba to the conclusion of the third movement which leads without a break into the fourth, but his extensive use of this single, simple motif to build such a complex structure was, at the time, unique, and had a profound impact on later composers.

The recording is by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, and once again has been taken from the amazing online resource archive.org.

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