Dynamic power

[chopithoven]

Which is Beethoven's most intense dynamic climax? Could it be the fffs in the finale of the 7th symphony?

[OboeKing]

Do you not think that the storm of the pastorale is more dynamically dramatic?

[OboeKing]

Or, how about the chorale finale of the ninth symphony, when the chorus are reapeating the words 'vor Gott,' the last time it is said. I know this is only marked with two f's but it has a much more profound dramatic effect - in my opinion - than the seventh's finale.

Regards,
Michael.

[Rod]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
Which is Beethoven's most intense dynamic climax? Could it be the fffs in the finale of the 7th symphony?

In addition to the pieces mention, I could add Leonore III in this context.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Peter]

What about the recapitulation of the main theme in the first movement of the 9th.

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'Man know thyself'

[chopithoven]

Yes, these are all high moments of B's dynamics, but does anybody know which of them reaches the highest number in dbs if we use the same orchestral forces?

[lysander]

"You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's seventh and go slow"

-Oscar Levant, on explaining his way out of being booked for speeding.

[Peter]

Originally posted by lysander:


"You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's seventh and go slow"

-Oscar Levant, on explaining his way out of being booked for speeding.

I always thought Karajan said that - he was well known for his fast cars! Perhaps he used the same excuse!


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'Man know thyself'

[blue sky]

i think Beethoven's music is very powerful, concerning emotion,cause it's dramatic
you can hear but also you can see
the 2d mvt of the 7th is a real picture:animated picture like a funeral march in the war people who fight for a great cause maybe their freedom
this is the reason why Beethoven is so famous and so adored by great filmmakers and especially filmcomposers like john williams; Beethoven tells story: the 3d and the 6th tell story like a filmmaker does nowadays(still without words).so he is not going to be forgotten.

[Rod]

Originally posted by blue sky:
i think Beethoven's music is very powerful, concerning emotion,cause it's dramatic
you can hear but also you can see
the 2d mvt of the 7th is a real picture:animated picture like a funeral march in the war people who fight for a great cause maybe their freedom
this is the reason why Beethoven is so famous and so adored by great filmmakers and especially filmcomposers like john williams; Beethoven tells story: the 3d and the 6th tell story like a filmmaker does nowadays(still without words).so he is not going to be forgotten.

Contrast and dynamism is the drive behind Beethoven's compositional process, not just within a work, but between consecutive works. The ideal vehicle for the display of contrast is sonata form, and Beethoven developed this form more than any other composer.



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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
Which is Beethoven's most intense dynamic climax? Could it be the fffs in the finale of the 7th symphony?

Perhaps, an equal, the finale of the 5th Symphony is rather climatic with the long prolongation of the final chord in such a dramatic fashion. The 7th finale is some of the loudest music which Beethoven ever wrote.

[Joy]

The finale of the 4th movement of the 5th Symphony gets my vote as well. I think Goethe said of the 5th Symphony after hearing it "If all the musicians and orchestras were to play Beethoven's 5th simultaneously all the planets would go off their axis". I have a tendency to believe him!

Joy

[Gurn Blanston]

I suspect that my vote would go to the 5th also. There are 2 different forces at work in this question, just plain dB's for volume on the one hand, and so perhaps, yes, the fff's in the 7th may be the loudest, but dynamic contrast comes from what is before and after, and the end of the scherzo of the 5th B lulls you in to listening so very closely to the quiet figures in the bass, and then just blows you away with the great sound of the Allegro finale, so the contrast is very great.
Regards, Gurn

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Joy:
The finale of the 4th movement of the 5th Symphony gets my vote as well. I think Goethe said of the 5th Symphony after hearing it "If all the musicians and orchestras were to play Beethoven's 5th simultaneously all the planets would go off their axis". I have a tendency to believe him!

Joy

That's a great quote! And in regards to what Gurn said, the emotional climax of this movement is one that has been building over the previous three and its scope and nature rise above anything other climatic work that anyone else has written.

[heidi]

Originally posted by chopithoven:
Which is Beethoven's most intense dynamic climax? Could it be the fffs in the finale of the 7th symphony?

All the pieces mentioned are dynamic. My favorite, and I'm not sure if you would lable it dynamic, is the end of the 1st movement of the 3rd piano concerto. Ater the piano solo the timpani comes in sounding so much like a heartbeat it seems almost seductive and then builds to a short but huge climax. I wonder what Beethoven was thinking about when he wrote that piece. I love it.