Wednesday, November 17, 2010

11/17 Symphony No. 5, Pt 1 (Analysis, Järvi)

(Kandinsky's St George and the Dragon)
Today and tomorrow I annotate the single most famous orchestral work since Star Wars.  :).  There are innumerable websites devoted to the 5th Symphony, I'll list a few tomorrow I guess.  Here's part 1 of my 2-part post covering all 4 movements...  Oh yeah, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen are back with us for one more analysis!

Beethoven, Symphony 5 in C minor, op.67 (1808)
Movement I:  Allegro con brio

Exposition
-Theme 1
--A - full motif statement open cadence
--A1 - sequenced variation
--Modulating Bridge leading to Open Cadence
-Theme 2 in Eb
-Cadence section
--Pt 1 - victorious
--Pt 2 - Theme 1 motif in winds ; closed cadence

Exposition Repeat

Development
-Pt 1 - Theme 1 motif is transformed from victory to foreboding
-Pt 2 - orchestra builds into a dissonant climax
-Pt 3 - Theme 2 "horn calls in strings
-Pt 4 - more fragmentation of theme 2 - strings vs winds - the battle recedes...except for one last volley
-Pt 5 - retransition using Theme 1 motif of victory

Recapitulation
-Theme 1
--A
--open cadence leading to mournful oboe cadenza from out of nowhere
--A1 - building sequences
--Modulating Bridge ; open cadence
-Theme 2
-Cadence
--Pt 1 - Glorious with accents on upbeat
--Pt 2

-Coda
--Pt 1 - anguished Theme 1 motif
--Pt 2 - Horn call motif low strings and bassoon
--Pt 3 - 2-note march motif
--Pt 4 - slamming chords, strings and winds battle again...fragmentation
--Pt 5 - Theme 1 motif returns in "suspended form"
--Pt 6 - RECAP #2 -A - Victory motif, tentatively, before a final tutti cadence

Movement II - Andante con moto


Statement of main formula
-A - lyric melody in Ab Major (dolce)
-Romance Cadence
-B - theme actually a variation of fragment of A
-B1 - grand version in C Major
-open cadence

Variation I (semi-Expo repeat)
-A1 - faster subdivided rhythm
-Romance cadence
-B2 - more intricate accompaniment
-B3 - grand variation
-open cadence

Variation II (Development)
-A2 - variation w 12 notes each bar
-A3 - winds add counter
-A4 - low strings pick up previous phrase -ascending scales lead to open cadence
-A5 - winds highlighted leading to modulating variations
-B4 - Grand theme in C Major returns 3rd time
-A6 - rustic variation

Variation III (Recapitulation)
-A7 - vibrating strings support lyric melody
-Romance Cadence
-A8 - Suddenly a jaunty variation interrupts the wind down
-Romance Cadence reasserts itself even more fervently
-Coda w lyric theme motifs (A9)

Movements 3 and 4 tomorrow......

(Analysed with the assistance of Robert Greenberg's Teaching Company Wordscore guide., The videos were originally uploaded to Youtube by Beethofan)

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