Allegretto (from Symphony No.7 in A, Op.92)
Beethoven wrote only one, unsuccessful ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus, but in 1812 his Seventh Symphony celebrated dance while elevating it to a truly sublime level of art. Of the whole symphony, this second movement Allegretto made the most immediate impact and instantly encored, mid-symphony, at the première. Since then this movement has had something of a history as an individual concert item, with conductors from Mahler to Bernstein using it to open concerts, while 19th century concert-promoters would insert it into other works to guarantee enthusiasm from the audience. A poignant woodwind chord draws open the curtain and the low strings state a bare, rhythmic theme in sombre colours. A haunting countermelody soon soars above it, building an inexorable climax before the clouds part and the major key gleams through in radiant beauty. But the skies darken again and after a final climax the dance sinks once more onto the chord with which it began. With perfect simplicity Beethoven has expressed the heights and depths of human feeling in a few moments of music – the secret of genius.
R. G. Bratby
Copyright Classical Notes.co.uk 2000
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