The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Hamish McKeich, returned to the stage of the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Wednesday 10 June 2020, with a live performance of Beethoven’s iconic Fifth Symphony.
Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820 Photo: Public Domain
Beethoven’s 'Symphony No 5' has perhaps the most famous opening of any piece of classical music. Its 'da-da-da-dah' rhythmic motif has found its way into pop songs, Morse code and even Doctor Who. But its ubiquity hides its genius: using this distinctive motif as a common thread throughout all four movements, Beethoven wrote a symphony whose form was cyclic, rather than linear, and thus revolutionised symphonic form.
The Fifth Symphony was originally to be part of the NZSO's 2020 Podium Series Emperor tour as part of celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth.
Recorded 10 June 2020, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington by RNZ Concert
Producer: David McCaw
Engineer: Darryl Stack
