My thouhts on Beethoven
11/16/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ten of Beethoven's most famous pieces were selected for this CD. Out of these ten, my favorite is "Symphony No. 5:Allegro con brio," which was made popular during World War II for the likeness between the symphony's opening bars and Morse code for "victory." Obviously, the geniuses who decided to use it as an inspiration for victory forgot it was composed by a German. Considered to be the best composer of his time, Beethoven wrote symphonies and sonatas, conciertos and trios, that expressed the emerging spirit of humanism in German literature. His "Symphony No. 9" combines a poem by Schiller, a contemporary of Goethe, and powerful music to express the never ending battle between good and evil. This is my favorite of Beethoven's nine symphonies, but was not included o the CD, a great oversight in my opinion. However, the selections were well chosen in the sense that they expose the listener to the different types of music Beethoven composed and have made me a grater fan of classical music before I heard this CD."