All in a chord I: Beethoven: the Eroica Symphony

Hewett, I. (2017) All in a chord I: Beethoven: the Eroica Symphony. [Broadcast]

Abstract

Music is never created in isolation - it's conceived in relation to what's going on around a composer in terms of personal and historical events, new technologies, new ideas and artistic endeavours in other fields. In this series, Ivan Hewett is looking at five very different chords which amply demonstrate the concept that harmony is a reflection of history. Each programme is a bite size portion of rich musical and historical investigation - and each chord has had far reaching influence on other music and is emblematic of its era. 1) THE EROICA CHORD (broadcast 9 January and 26 July 2017 on BBC Radio 4). Contributors: Beethoven biographer John Suchet, historian Andrew Roberts. Beethoven's Eroica Chord of 1804 is the climax of the composer's attempt to capture the fervour of revolution. Strident trumpets scream out above the orchestra, forming a clash of harmony that no-one could mistake as anything but a great musical rallying cry for freedom.

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