There was a PBS show a few years back called “Keeping Score” – an episode of which had Michael Tilson Thomas drilling very deeply into Beethoven. He picked one 1st movement, one 2nd, etc. to examine, from 4 different symphonies. I wish I could remember which choices he made (I know that he picked the 4th movement of Eroica), but I remember loving his choices.
I think the 2nd movement of the 7th may be the most beautiful thing ever written.
I voted for the 5th.
Ninth.
I know it’s not something I share with others, but I love the 4th.
My mind knows the 9th is better, but my heart loves the 4th.
I think his piano concertos are equal, by the way.
Favorite - 9th.
Second - 6th. Because of Fantasia and a kids’ 45 that used it as background music.
Perhaps a more interesting poll would be of your favorite Beethoven symphony other than the 9th.
I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s certainly near the top. And it’s why I had to vote for the 7th, even if the other movements had been total crap, which of course they’re not.
In the 7th Symphony, the 2nd movement gets all the love.
But if Beethoven ever wrote a piece more joyous, more exuberant, than the 1st movement of the 7th Symphony, I haven’t heard it. Yeah, even the Ode to Joy.
I’ll go for Beethoven’s 9th too (4th movement, then 2nd, then 1st, then 3rd), closely followed by the 7th (2nd movement).
6th, but the 9th is a very very close second.
I have the Karajan disks, I should listen to them more often.
I love most the one I’m performing.
No way could I choose otherwise.
Any notion that the “odds are better than the evens” is just dumb.
I like the 6th, the Pastoral, and also the 8th. Currently I like the Cleveland Orchestra w/ von Dohnanyi version best, but the Szell version is a classic for a reason.
Exactly.
6>5>3>7
I hate the 4th movement of the 9th SO MUCH!
9th, 3rd, 6th, 5th, 7th, 1st
Then you haven’t heard the beginning of the 8th.
The Ninth is one of the few pieces of music which can bring me to tears.
It made my heart pound with excitement the first time I heard it and I was very much a rock & roll kid, with minimal appreciation for classical music at the time.
The moonlight sonata is the moonlight itself. I find it by far to be his most moving work.
I love the 9th Synphony, 4th movement so much that Suburban Plankton and I had it played for our recessional at our wedding.
I incorporated a short passage of the 9th into a costume competition entry at Toronto Trek (the former name of the Polaris convention). I wore a lizard mask and a tuxedo and pretended to be conducting the chorus.
I was Toskanini.
Won for best latex mask, so my lifetime record is 1 and 0.