# Happy Beethoven's Birthday! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 16, 2022, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626 "2022-12-16T06:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/1 "2022-12-16T06:07:44Z")
[![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHLExsNSurWcHiZ__JzGVorBXrPNMJoMKj0Q&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHLExsNSurWcHiZ__JzGVorBXrPNMJoMKj0Q&usqp=CAU) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDXWK3W477w/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHeA4AC6AKKAgwIABABGHIgWigxMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBLqlnTq4q7xBZ335QIvY8smvDLHQ "Beethoven - 5th Piano Concerto 'Emperor' (Zimerman, Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDXWK3W477w) ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/2 "2022-12-16T08:57:53Z")
Starts at 0:50. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XW9e28bYbJA/hqdefault.jpg "Sviatoslav Richter plays Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 32, op. 111 - video 1975 best quality") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW9e28bYbJA) ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/3 "2022-12-16T12:12:03Z")
Still my favourite composer of all time, despite which I couldn’t have told you today was his birthday if you hadn’t said so - thanks! For me the opening of that recording is a touch heavy-handed (no doubt the performance direction in the music calls for this, and quite possibly reflects the composer’s hearing loss, but even so) - compare this recording by (in my view) the all-time master of Beethoven’s piano works, Barenboim: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ZdlsZW85lvw/maxresdefault.jpg "Daniel Barenboim: Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major, op.73, "Emperor" - I. Allegro") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdlsZW85lvw) ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/4 "2022-12-16T14:37:42Z")
Hamerklavier Sonata, slow movement, 'nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/5 "2022-12-17T09:52:29Z")
While were at it, why not have a Beethoven greatest hits list ? Here’s mine (absolute favourites in bold). - Piano sonatas n°4, 8 (_Pathétique_), 13 (_Quasi una fantasia_), **14 (_Moonlight_)**, **15 (_Pastoral_)**, **17 (_Tempest_)**, 23 (_Appassionata_), 24 (_à Thérèse_), 25, 26 (_Les Adieux_), **28** , **29 (_Hammerklavier_)**, **30** , **31** and **32** - Piano concertos n° **4** and 5 - String quartets n° **14** , 15, 16 and **Grosse Fuge** - Symphonies n°5, 6 and **7** - Cello sonatas n° **3** and 5 - Piano trio n°5 (_Ghost_) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/6 "2022-12-17T18:31:47Z")
and the Archduke Trio, and the Kreuzer Sonata. The Waldstein piano sonata (21). Here’s one of the most beautiful segues in music: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lbblMw6k1cU/maxresdefault.jpg "Beethoven: Sonata No.21 in C Major, "Waldstein" (Pletnev)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbblMw6k1cU) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/7 "2022-12-17T18:45:09Z")
I take the day off every year to celebrate. Don’t get me started on “we don’t know if he was really born on the 16”, he celebrated his birthday on the 16th, and said it was the 16th. Good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/8 "2022-12-17T18:52:28Z")
> [@K364](#): > > and the Archduke Trio, and … > The Waldstein piano sonata (21) Those were the two pieces that, to me, were most conspicuously absent from @Moonrise’s list. Plus I don’t think the 8th symphony gets nearly enough love. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/9 "2022-12-17T20:40:34Z")
My local classical station did a Beethoven day yesterday and played one of my all-time Greatest hits, the Violin Concerto. Apparently he wrote only the 1 because it wasn’t a success until its revival after his death. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0Cg_0jepxow/maxresdefault.jpg "BEETHOVEN Concerto for Violin and Orchestra - Hilary Hahn, violin; Leonard Slatkin, conductor") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cg_0jepxow) And another for the Greatest Hits list, the Romance 2 in F Major, Op. 50: [Beethoven - Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50 (Kurt Masur & Renaud Capuçon) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf2J0ykoW2A) ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/10 "2022-12-18T08:20:48Z")
This reminds me that Beethoven intended to write a cello concerto for Romberg, a famous virtuoso of the time but the latter declined, saying that he preferred playing his own compositions ! Understandably peeved by the rejection, Berthoven shelved his plan, much to the chagrin of cellists everywhere… ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/11 "2022-12-19T19:04:26Z")
My 2 all-time favourites remain piano sonatas 8 and 14. In particular, I think these 2 chord sequences are among the greatest in all music (both videos cued to the bar or two I mean): [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SrcOcKYQX3c/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHOBYAClAOKAgwIABABGH8gQSg0MA8=&rs=AOn4CLDM_gGAb4XvYDw6DHPdlVG_3Yvtkw "Daniel Barenboim plays Beethoven Sonata No. 8 Op. 13 (Pathetique)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrcOcKYQX3c) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q5OaSju0qNc/hqdefault.jpg "Beethoven Sonata N° 14 'moonlight' Daniel Barenboim") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5OaSju0qNc) ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2022, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-beethovens-birthday/976626/12 "2022-12-20T08:29:17Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@K364](#): > > > > and the Archduke Trio, and … > > The Waldstein piano sonata (21) > > Those were the two pieces that, to me, were most conspicuously absent from @Moonrise’s list. > > Plus I don’t think the 8th symphony gets nearly enough love. Regarding the _Waldstein Sonata_, I totally agree that the segue mentioned by @K364 is beautiful (the whole of the slow movement is wonderfully mysterious). The problem is that the first movement gets on my nerves. So, it is one of his greatest sonatas for sure, but not one of my favourites. As for the _8th Symphony_, it is indeed an excellent work… which happens to be stuck between two absolute masterpieces, hence its relative (and unfair) neglect.