{"id":47185,"date":"2024-09-13T11:35:18","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T09:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/80ed5979-0ef2-4fd9-b743-dd269b9ba075"},"modified":"2024-09-13T12:07:15","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T10:07:15","slug":"bbc-proms-today-the-symphony-that-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/bbc-proms-today-the-symphony-that-changed-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Proms today: the symphony that changed everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 13 September 2024 at 09:35 AM<\/p>

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Welcome back to another 2024\u00a0BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0preview from BBC Music Magazine<\/em>. Read on for all the details on Prom 72, taking place at 7.30pm on Friday 13 September at the Royal Albert Hall… and featuring the Beethoven<\/a><\/strong> symphony that changed the course of classical music forever. <\/p>

After tonight, there’s one more Prom remaining in the 2024 season. And you know what that is: the opulent season closer that is the Last Night of the Proms<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>

What’s on at the BBC Proms today?<\/h2>
We begin tonight with the very first symphony composed by the great Wolfgang Amadeus<\/strong> Mozart<\/strong><\/a>. The Austrian composer would later write some of the best loved and most seminal symphonies in the repertoire, culminating in the dazzling feast of intertwined melodies that is the ‘Jupiter’ Symphony. He penned this first essay in the genre, though, at the tender age of eight!<\/p>
Which is your favourite piece by Mozart?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
<\/div><\/figure><p>With its elegance and clarity, Mozart’s First Symphony shows a clear influence of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johann-christian-bach-composer\">Johann Christian Bach<\/a><\/strong>, the youngest son of the great <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johann-sebastian-bach\">Johann Sebastian Bach<\/a><\/strong>, whom Mozart had encountered in London. Its three movements comprise a lively, energetic <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-does-allegro-mean-in-music\">Allegro<\/a><\/em><\/strong> in sonata form; a C minor <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-andante\">Andante<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, quite sombre and reflective in mood; and a joyous, brisk <em>Presto<\/em>. Coming from the mind of an eight-year-old, it’s a pretty extraordinary feat! <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A great French symphony<\/h2><p>Next on tonight’s programme is the Symphony No. 3 in G minor by the 19th-century French composer <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/farrenc-louise\">Louise Farrenc<\/a><\/strong>. A contemporary of the likes of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/robert-schumann\">Schumann<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/felix-mendelssohn\">Mendelssohn<\/a><\/strong>, Farrenc is perhaps best known for her chamber music, but she also composed various orchestral works – including three symphonies. She features in our list of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/best-french-composers-ever\">greatest French composers of all time<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><p>Composed in 1847, her Third Symphony is a colourful and energetic work that shows some influences from Beethoven (Farrenc’s teacher, Anton Reicha, was a friend of the great composer). Its movements include a beautiful <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-adagio-in-music\">Adagio<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0movement is equally glorious, transforming from a gentle <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-a-melody\">melody<\/a><\/strong> for clarinet and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/oboe-vs-clarinet\">oboe<\/a><\/strong> to a full-bodied symphonic workout. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/six-best-works-louise-farrenc\">Six of the best: Louise Farrenc works<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Louise Farrenc : Symphonie n\u00b03 en sol mineur op. 36 par l'Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yv3LXXlmwNs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A game-changing orchestral work<\/h2><p>Then it’s time for tonight’s major work – and what a work it is. We’re talking about Beethoven’s magisterial Symphony No. 3, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/beethoven-symphony-3-eroica\"><em>Eroica<\/em><\/a><\/strong>. If one symphony can be said to have changed the course of classical music, it’s surely the <em>Eroica<\/em>. Composed at the dawn of the 19th century, between 1803 and 1804, Beethoven’s Third Symphony marked a pivotal moment, not only in its composer’s career but also in the story of the symphonic form. <\/p><p>This big, bold, harmonically daring and emotionally complex work set new boundaries for the symphony. In terms of scale, complexity and emotional power, the <em>Eroica<\/em> surpasses previous works by Mozart, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/joseph-haydn\">Haydn<\/a><\/strong> and others. It is much longer and more intricate than most symphonies of its time. From now on, symphonies would reach new heights of both structural complexity and emotional depth.<\/p><p>Interestingly, Beethoven composed the <em>Eroica<\/em> at a time of great personal crisis, in particular his struggles with his developing <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/beethoven-deaf\">deafness<\/a><\/strong>. It’s possible to hear, in the symphony\u2019s emotional power, some of the composer’s inner turmoil and sense of transformation. You won’t be surprised that the Eroica finishes very strongly in our chart of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/20-greatest-symphonies-all-time\">greatest symphonies of all time<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The <em>Eroica<\/em>, movement by movement<\/h2><p>We begin with an Allegro con brio in Sonata form. It opens, famously, with two bold chords that grab the listener’s attention. Then follows a grand, heroic main theme that goes through various developments as the movement progresses. There’s plenty of rhythmic energy and change throughout. Both the movement’s length (15 minutes) and its sudden changes in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-harmony-in-music\">harmony<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dynamics_(music)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dynamics<\/a><\/strong> broke new ground in symphonic style.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Beethoven: 3. Sinfonie (\u00bbEroica\u00ab) \u2219 hr-Sinfonieorchester \u2219 Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fhHcty9OM-0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>The next movement is, famously, a funeral march. Solemn and filled with emotion, it’s one of Beethoven\u2019s most powerful slow movements, alongside perhaps those of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-beethovens-symphony-no-7\">Seventh<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-beethovens-symphony-no-9\">Ninth<\/a><\/strong> Symphonies. Composers such as <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johannes-brahms\">Brahms<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/gustav-mahler\">Mahler<\/a><\/strong> would later draw on this movement’s emotional heft and dignity when composing their own funeral marches. <\/p><p>The Eroica’s third movement is a lively <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-scherzo\">Scherzo<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and trio. This provides a complete break from the gravity and dignity of the funeral march. Full of dynamic contrast and rhythmic urgency, the <em>Scherzo<\/em> is broken up by a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-trio\">trio<\/a><\/strong> section in which the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/the-history-of-the-french-horn\">French horn<\/a><\/strong> features prominently. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, Eroica, 2nd movement | Paavo J\u00e4rvi & Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P4l8ah2Rvm0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>The final movement is a set of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-are-variations\">variations<\/a><\/strong> that draw on a theme from Beethoven’s ballet <em>The Creatures of Prometheus<\/em>. These start in light-hearted mode but gain in intricacy, drama and, at moments, humour. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is performing at the BBC Proms today?<\/h2><p>Performing the Eroica and other works for Prom 72 are the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and conductor Antonello Manacorda.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time do the BBC Proms start today?<\/h2><p>Prom 72 starts at 7.30pm, and tickets are priced from \u00a311 to \u00a354.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Friday, 13 September 2024 at 09:35 AM Welcome back to another 2024\u00a0BBC Proms\u00a0preview from BBC Music Magazine. Read on for all the details on Prom 72, taking place at 7.30pm on Friday 13 September at the Royal Albert Hall… and featuring the Beethoven symphony that changed the course of classical music forever. 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Read on for all the details on Prom 72, taking place at 7.30pm on Friday 13 September at the Royal Albert Hall… and featuring the Beethoven symphony that changed the course of classical music forever. 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