About 3 1:57
Breaking the shackles of fate —— The Fifth Symphony "Destiny"
Creation No.67: 1806- 1808
In many people's minds, fate represents Beethoven; Similarly, in the eyes of others, Beethoven represents fate. I don't think there is another symphony in the world that can gain such wide popularity and acceptance. Beethoven's greatness, to a great extent, also comes from the reputation and admiration brought to him by this masterpiece. The Fifth Symphony of Destiny represents Beethoven's spirit, the spirit that human beings will never give in to themselves! Let's learn about this work from the beginning!
The conception and creation period of fate is quite long. According to the literature, Beethoven first began to write this work intentionally from 1803. So what is the main idea of this work? What is Beethoven's intention in creating works? Here, we might as well recall the article "Heiligenstadt's Will" that I told you in the first part of this article. Yes, that's Beethoven's spiritual call after he was trapped by the disease! Fortunately, he finally defeated his will, he was not repelled by unfair fate, he defeated himself. Later, I returned to Vienna to continue my pursuit of music. In the process of this desperate, reflective and victorious struggle, Beethoven issued the slogan "I want to hold the fate by the throat". He feels that he can't give in to fate, but should dare to challenge!
You may misunderstand, is it because Beethoven's ear disease has improved that he has regained his courage to live? Actually, it's not. From many diaries and letters written by the composer himself, it can be seen that Beethoven's deafness is getting worse, not only the simple hearing loss, but also the serious noise interference, which makes him miserable. Therefore, Beethoven's regaining confidence in himself is entirely his spiritual victory, which comes from the challenge to fate. Therefore, after he had a new understanding of life, the composer tried to express his feelings with a large symphony and praise the theme of self-struggle. Since then, the theme of the Symphony of Destiny has gradually taken shape. When I introduced my last work, I mentioned that the first movement of fate was written before the fourth symphony, and the last three movements were completed between 1807- 1808. I don't think it is necessary to emphasize other factors too much in the introduction of this work, but let's experience it from the music itself.
The first four frightening and powerful notes are unforgettable for almost everyone! Really, a classic paragraph full of shock, so short but so lingering! Of course, Beethoven's explanation of these four notes is the most authoritative-fate is knocking at the door! Yes, straight to the point, the theme of the whole work is clear at a glance. Perhaps the influence of these four notes on everyone is too profound, so the music showed an unprecedented sense of terror from the beginning! I think this is the best combination of Beethoven's musical talent and his personal spirit! Next, we seem to see the scene of fierce fighting. Every note, every melody seems to be fighting bravely! You can imagine the protagonist as Beethoven or even any indomitable soldier or revolutionary struggle. But I don't think this is enough-for the audience, the protagonist should be yourself! So who is the enemy, obviously-fate! Because I think, everyone faces the test of fate sometimes. The theme is repeating, and the voice of terror is still echoing. It seems that fighters have not conquered this powerful "destiny opponent"! I think many listeners will feel a little tired here.
At this time, the soothing melody of the second movement came. It seems that a mother reaches out to comfort her son who has just experienced a fierce battle, and it seems that several warriors fighting side by side are communicating and thinking about the enemy's situation and future after the war. Although the music is soft, it contains an inspiring silent force, as if it is constantly inspiring the soldiers to move on. After the fierce struggle in the first movement, the audience got a moment's rest here, as if it were a cure. The third movement is allegro scherzo, but I can't hear anything about "humor and scherzo". Here, the soldiers took up arms again and returned to the dark battlefield, and the atmosphere of music suddenly changed from quiet to darkness. It seems that the soldiers are approaching their fate step by step with the blood of the victims, accumulating strength and courage. The curtain of the fourth movement is about to slowly open!
Here, we can notice that the third and fourth movements of the Symphony of Destiny are played continuously, from the last part of the third movement to the beginning of the fourth movement as a sudden ensemble like a flash flood. In fact, this technique comes from the first movement of the fourth symphony-from the introduction to the theme. It is precisely because of the successful writing of the first movement of "Fourth" that the last movement of "Destiny" was inspired. I think, in the face of such a surging victory, any audience should be excited-the darkness has been broken, the fate has been conquered, and the sun shines on the earth again! Soldiers are celebrating their victory, and the crowd is singing victory carols! The audience can also breathe a sigh of relief and even feel a little happy and excited about the greatness of the work. I think this is an important reason why many people can gain strength from the symphony of destiny for hundreds of years and summon up courage to face the pressure and challenges of life!
According to records, when Beethoven wrote this symphony, his facial lines often twisted and even sweated! Moreover, when I was conducting this work, I also saw some video materials of famous conductor masters. I was moved by that kind of devoted mood and nervous expression. Perhaps this is the emotional stimulation and spiritual encouragement that music brings to human beings. From this perspective, fate can be described as a model. As far as music itself is concerned, this symphony further established Beethoven's status as a "music saint"-he is destined to be a person who will forge ahead from classical music to romantic music. Structurally, Destiny can also be called a textbook model of a symphonic mountain peak-each movement has its own unique meaning, but it is interrelated, set off each other and combined to create this masterpiece!
Beethoven, who is nearly 40 years old, left this timeless classic to future generations with his fiery feelings and unique personality style, his special life experience and musical talent!