Ludwig van Beethoven: German Who Bridged the Gap Between Classical & Romantic

"Freedom Above All"

"It seemed unthinkable for me to leave the world forever before I had produced all that I felt called upon to produce."

"Beethoven was one of the great thinkers in the realm of music.  Early he got rid of the frivolous. His intellectual curiosity was enormous; he continued to learn all his life.  He merged the two concepts of the Enlightenment and the Romantic movements, the clear resoluteness of the one, the dark introspection of the other.  Both are present in his music.  By all means, we should listen to the music of Beethoven.  His music brings together thoughts and emotions which are more intense than we can produce."  (Jane Stuart Smith)

This piece is one of Beethoven's most popular compositions for the piano, and it was a popular favorite even in his own day. Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata in his early thirties, and did so after he had finished with some commissioned work; there is no evidence that he was commissioned to write this.  Sonata is an Italian word for a piece that is played, rather than sung. 

"Moonlight Sonata" opus 27 # 2 Movement 3

5th Symphony; Gustavo Dudamel, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Venezuela

6th Symphony / "Pastoral": Leonard Bernstein conducts the Vienna Philharmonic

7th Symphony: soundtrack of "The King's Speech"

9th Symphony: Leonard Bernstein conducts celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall - 1989