Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no. 8 in F Major, Op 93: great compositions/performances

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony no.8 in F Major, Op 93

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Symphony No 8 in F Major, op 93:

1. Allegro vivace e con brio
2. Allegretto scherzando
3. Tempo de Menuetto
4. Allegro vivace

Philharmonia Orchestra
Herbert von Karajan, conductor
(London, 20.V.1955)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93 is a symphony in four movements composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1812. Beethoven fondly referred to it as “my little Symphony in F,” distinguishing it from his Sixth Symphony, a longer work also in F.^[1]

The Eighth Symphony is generally light-hearted, though not lightweight, and in many places cheerfully loud, with many accented notes. Various passages in the symphony are heard by some listeners to be musical jokes.^[2] As with various other Beethoven works such as the Opus 27 piano sonatas, the symphony deviates from Classical tradition in making the last movement the weightiest of the four.

Composition and premiere

Portrait of Beethoven in 1815, a year after the premiere of his 8th Symphony.

The work was begun in the summer of 1812, immediately after the completion of the Seventh Symphony.^[3] At the time Beethoven was 41 years old. As Antony Hopkins has noted, the cheerful mood of the work betrays nothing of the grossly unpleasant events that were taking place in Beethoven’s life at the time, which involved his interference in his brother Johann’s love life.^[4] The work took Beethoven only four months to complete,^[3] and is, unlike many of his works, without dedication.

The premiere took place on 27 February 1814, at a concert in the Redoutensaal, Vienna, at which the Seventh Symphony (which had been premiered two months earlier) was also played.^[5] Beethoven was growing increasingly deaf at the time, but nevertheless led the premiere. Reportedly, “the orchestra largely ignored his ungainly gestures and followed the principal violinist instead.”^[6]

When asked by his pupil Carl Czerny why the Eighth was less popular than the Seventh, Beethoven is said to have replied, “because the Eighth is so much better.”^[7] A critic wrote that “the applause it received was not accompanied by that enthusiasm which distinguishes a work which gives universal delight; in short—as the Italians say—it did not create a furor.” Beethoven was angered at this reception.^[8] George Bernard Shaw, in his capacity as a music critic, agreed with Beethoven’s assessment of the work, writing that indeed, “In all subtler respects the Eighth is better [than the Seventh].”^[9] But other critics have been divided in their judgement.