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Rating:
"With audacity, one can undertake anything, but not do everything."
Was it necessary to review Beethoven’s Eroica? Of course not. And in any case, I'm not the most qualified person. I’m three years short of conservatory, many listens, and just as many readings. But I’ll do it anyway. As Pliny says, "there is no book that doesn't have something good in it"; and so, I hope my clumsy review, aided by the valuable comments, can keep someone company, teach something to someone else, or bring someone closer to Beethoven. So, let’s hear it from the Debaserians, and those who know more, share more.
The opening quote is from Napoleon, and it seems the most suitable to explain the spirit of the symphony which was written with his exploits in mind. Had it not been inspired by the general, would Beethoven have undertaken such an ambitious work? Who knows... It would have been something else, in any case.
The audacity, of which both titans were certainly not lacking, is also the fundamental premise of this composition. Beethoven, indeed, takes over the symphony of the 18th century but raises the stakes significantly, he wants something more. And thus, the symphony is enriched in quantity, quality, and power. It’s not just the volume or the duration, but the tone that has changed: epic, titanic, Napoleonic, to such an extent that it makes everything that came before seem modest. It doesn't matter if Beethoven takes a few steps back; no restoration erases the marks of a revolution, because the world (and in this case, the world of music) in the meantime is no longer the same.
We were talking about quantity, quality, and power: and the first movement of this symphony is already longer and more ambitious than any other. The key, of course, is major. The theme is cyclical, repeating infinitely with the same conclusion, somewhat like Napoleon's battles, and like these, it seems to take us to the top of the world. The euphoria dissolves in the second movement, which with its minor tone and grave, funereal pace seems to anticipate another famous second movement (that of the seventh); but in this, thanks to the commentary from timpani and woodwinds, rather than a funeral march, it feels like witnessing a battle against death and the entire world.
The atmosphere of the third movement is entirely different: light and joyful, embellished by the commentary of the horns, it is the prototype of the scherzi that Beethoven would write in the years to come. Finally, the fourth movement is no less impressive: the main motif is introduced by the oboe, followed by the strings and parodied by the flutes; finally, delivered to the three horns, it paves the way for a grand finale.
Nothing was missing, in short, for this work to be dedicated to the great Napoleon; too bad that he, proclaiming himself emperor in 1804, provoked the dismay of his supporters and Beethoven himself. Who knows, if he had done it earlier, perhaps instead of the Eroica, we would have another Pastorale? Or maybe a modest symphony? The only certain thing is that Napoleon was wrong. Because, at least in music, with audacity one can undertake anything... and do even more.
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