Eroica

It is interesting to speculate on the origin of this film. Someone at the BBC -- let's say the scriptwriter Nick Dear -- wanted to show Beethoven's Third Symphony, the "Eroica," as the revolutionary work that it is. So he takes us to the Vienna palace of Beethoven's patron Prince Lobkowitz in 1804, when the work is played for the first time. Is this a rehearsal or a performance? Apparently both, a compromise that nonetheless works. The playing by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique under Sir John Eliot Gardiner is far too good for a reading (there is a separate concert performance as a bonus on the disc), but the private performance context enables the Prince to invite a number of guests, whose reactions give context to the music. On the other hand, the astonishment of the musicians seeing their parts for the first time gives an immediacy to the occasion and enables Beethoven to stir things up at the start when the orchestra begins to play in too genteel a style.But he doesn't say too much. One of the questions that Nick Dear must have faced was how much to interrupt the music in order to explain it. In the event, he takes a minimalist approach. The entire symphony is played, beginning to end. There is one interruption in the first movement when Beethoven correct the orchestra, but on the whole he hardly even conducts. There is another break near the end of that movement when his young assistant Ferdinand Reis upbraids a horn player, unable to believe that the harmonic clash was in fact what his master wrote. There is some discussion between the movements of the symphony, and the last few pages are played under a montage of quick scenes that would have taken place after the reading is over. For the rest, the music is allowed to speak for itself.And speak it does. I always thought I knew the "Eroica" (a required study in conducting class), but this was a revelation. Although I meant just to sample a movement or two before bed, I found myself hooked as though to a thriller, listening as if for the first time, amazed by every twist and turn. If the film-makers' ambition was to make a familiar piece sound revolutionary, they certainly succeeded. Part of this, I have to say, was the superb essay by Misha Donat in the booklet, which is one of the most illuminating program notes I have ever read. But much of it has to do with how concisely Nick Dear framed the comments of the various attenders, and even more how director Simon Clellan Jones got his actors to reveal their reactions through the most subtle of facial gestures.In calling the acting superb, I mean it in a special sense. There is almost no plot, and few of the characters are filled out in any detail. Ian Hart as Beethoven is the main exception, managing to look young and eager at one moment and the spitting image of the famous grouchy portrait in another. His confidence, his despair, his pride and irascibility are all part of his personality -- and more than Napoleon Bonaparte, its original dedicatee, the Eroica Symphony is about Ludwig van Beethoven. There was almost no need to bring in the subplot about his love for a young noblewoman (though she is beautifully played by Claire Skinner); it is already there in the music. For the others, Jack Davenport is immensely sympathetic as the genial Lobkowitz, Fenella Woolgar equally charming as his wife. Tim Pigott-Smith embodies the conservative view as Count Dietrichstein, who makes no secret of his criticism, but whose face while the music is playing reveals thoughts more complex than he would ever express in public. But indeed all the actors, from the considerate Prince down to little young chambermaid who listens but never speaks, get to show in their faces a depth of response that could never have been put into words.I have left out the most important listener, the aged Joseph Haydn, who arrives halfway through and is given the seat of honor. The part is played by Frank Finlay with a dignified understatement that speaks volumes. His arrival immediately changes the dynamic; it is now clearly the young generation addressing the old, at once as a challenge and an act of deep respect. And Haydn responds in kind, in his parting words to the Prince: "For the first time, a composer has put HIMSELF in the center of his symphony. Music will not be the same from now on."

I rented this movie first and watched it and was amazed and fascinated by what I saw. Having seen it I immediately ordered it from Amazon and recommend it highly for several reasons. One is the music as performed on period instruments. This performance of the Eroica is dramatic and powerful. I have multiple recordings of the Eroica already and limited storage space but one hearing of this performance convinced me that was an addition to my collection that I must not pass up.The performance is by Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique in an exclusive performance for this film. What was of particular interest is the actual members of the orchestra are the ones playing their instruments in the film. These are not actors clumsily pretending to play but the real thing. I was also fascinated by the period instruments they were playing; horns and trumpets with no valves and wind instruments that looked very different from their contemporaries.Another feature of the film is the inclusion of a recreation of the actual events that took place at the original performance including the famous protest by Ferdinand Ries of the early entrance of the horn in the first movement. The Eroica was a dramatic departure from the expected and introduced changes in the symphonic style that were disturbing, challenging and emotional. The film carefully shows the range of emotions generated by a first hearing of this revolutionary work.Also included on the disc is a full, uninterrupted performance of the Eroica by the orchestra which takes out the interruptions and plays the symphony in its entirety. The audio is available in two formats, LPCM STEREO AND DTS 5.1 SURROUND. If you have the system to accommodate it I heartily recommend the DTS surround.Another feature included is a very nice booklet on "Eroica, The day that changed music forever." The booklet includes a summary of the events surrounding the composition and first performance of Eroica, the cast and even the names of the members of the orchestra that appear in the film and their instruments. From this we learn that the orchestra is composed of 6 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos (my instrument), 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 3 horns (2 players listed), 2 trumpets, and tympani (one in E flat and one in B flat).Watching this movie was a catalyst for me to review my music history and enjoy all over again the wonder of an era and a man that created such an enduring work. This is a delightful addition to my collection and I encourage you to consider it for yours.

Ce film très bien tourné , avec un orchestre de 1 er choix , nous fait comprendre le profond ressentiment de qu'avait Beethoven envers les puissants ( dont il dépendait pour mener sa carrière de musicien-compositeur ) . L'épisode de la taverne , lorsqu'il apprend que Napoléon est sacré empereur , traduit bien sa terrible déception , puisqu'il voyait Napoléon comme une sorte de justicier , un défenseur des faibles qui allait rétablir la justice sociale , abattre les privilèges ... Une anecdote est célèbre : alors qu'il se produisait dans un salon aristocratique , il s'est interrompu et a quitté la pièce parce que des convives osaient bavarder et perturber son récital . On lui fit bien sur des reproches , l'hôte étant un prince tout puissant . Il répondit '' il y aura encore des milliers de princes , mais il n'y a et il n'y aura qu'un seul Beethoven '' !

Wonderful eternal music .

Buena interpretación musical con instrumentos de la época.Interesante visión de costumbres musicales de la época, de su entorno sociopolítico y de vivencias personales de Beethoven. Útil para entender aspectos de su música.

Ich habe mich schon früher - viel früher als heute, Jahrzehnte zurück - immer wieder gewundert, wieso man Beethoven unter die Wiener Klassiker eingeordnet hat - neben Mozart und Haydn. Mozart hat er vielleicht mal als Jugendlicher gesehen, und bei Haydn hatte er eine zeitlang Unterricht, als er ab 1792 in Wien war. Auf seine Musik hatte das allenfalls einen geringen Einfluß. B. war ein Meister der Improvisation und der vielfältigen Variationen. Er ist immer wieder neue Wege gegangen, zuerst als Pianist, und später, als sein Hörschaden das unmöglich machte, als Komponist. Franz Liszt hat ihn mal als die Brücke zur Romantik bezeichnet. B.'s Hammerklaviersonate konnte erst von Liszt im Jahr 1836 fehlerfrei aufgeführt werden. Und wer mir - als einem einfachen Hörer - nicht glaubt, der höre sich Jan Caeyers oder Rudolf Buchbinder an, die die gleiche Meinung vertreten - und die sind beide ausgewiesene Beethoven-Experten. Oder man lese das Buch von Christine Eichel: Der empfindsame Titan.Im Film gibt es übrigens eine besonders interessante Szene: Graf Dietrichstein, gespielt von dem britischen Schauspieler Tim Piggot-Smith, ist bei der Uraufführung der Eroica im Palais des Fürsten Lobkowitz anwesend. Er steht dem neuen Musikstil ablehnend gegenüber und äußert dies auch. An einer Stelle jedoch, beim berühmten zweiten Satz, dem langsamen, beobachtet man ihn und stellt fest, daß der Mann mit den Tränen kämpfen muß.

Estupenda, muy bien ambientada. Llena de anecdotas del compositor.muy hermosa la versión, con intrumentos originales. Realista, así debió haber ocurrido.