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Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7

Classical / Classical era · 1974–1976

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7

Carlos Kleiber / Vienna Philharmonic

베토벤: 교향곡 5번·7번 · 카를로스 클라이버 / 빈 필하모닉

Why listen

The Fifth’s compact motive and the Seventh’s recurring Allegretto rhythm offer two ways to hear repetition building a large orchestral form.

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English editorial edition

Album story

The four notes at the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth are familiar even to many people who rarely hear the complete symphony. Recognition, however, is not the same as following their subsequent work. This coupling invites comparison with the recurring rhythm beneath the Seventh’s Allegretto. Rather than filing both pieces under energetic Beethoven, consider the difference between a repeated idea in the foreground and a persistent pattern supporting other material.

Carlos Kleiber conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Deutsche Grammophon recordings made in March and April 1974 for the Fifth, and November 1975 and January 1976 for the Seventh. The Fifth’s familiar 1975 release history should not replace its recording date. This selection uses the eight-movement distribution directly linked by DG. Its 1995 coupling information and 2022 distribution information are distinct from those sessions; identical mastering across every reissue is not claimed.

Beyond recognising four notes

Listen for the short idea returning in different surroundings. Orchestration and emphasis can change while a recognisable shape remains. A new melody is not the only means of development. It is possible to follow traces of familiar material without tracking every note, making the long movement less forbidding. Repetition need not mean that the music has stopped moving.

Allegretto still moves

The Seventh’s second movement is marked Allegretto, not Adagio. A solemn impression need not become an expectation of extreme slowness. Hear the repeated rhythm supporting additional lines, and consider how their relationship changes the texture. If the movement is familiar from an isolated excerpt, restoring it after the opening movement can reveal another role beyond accompanying a sombre scene.

Two wholes, not eight chapters

The coupling contains two four-movement symphonies rather than one eight-part work. At the end of the Fifth, allow the Seventh’s slow introduction to establish a new structure. Shared performers do not erase compositional differences. After comparing the selected movements, return each to its remaining three companions. Their separate beginnings and endings give the familiar passages another scale.

The album through its tracks

Compare the Fifth’s first-movement motive with the Seventh’s Allegretto rhythm, then restore each to its complete symphony.

  1. Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio

    Treat recognition of the opening four notes as the beginning of listening rather than its conclusion. When the brief material returns, notice how its orchestral surroundings and emphasis have changed. The recurrence of an idea does not necessarily repeat the experience attached to it. Nor does the conductor’s reputation require a predetermined response of admiration. Following what persists and what alters is a more concrete task. Compare this with the Seventh’s Allegretto, where a repeated rhythmic pattern supports other activity. The contrast concerns the function of repetition rather than a competition between famous melodies. This performance was recorded in 1974; the coupling’s later display date is not the date of the session.

    Reference · Boston Symphony Orchestra: Fifth Symphony and four-note motive

  2. Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto

    Notice how a recurring rhythm supports additional melodic lines. Recognising the initial shape does not exhaust the movement: relationships continue to accumulate above it. As the texture changes, consider whether the underlying pattern remains apparent and whether shifting attention changes what seems to be in the foreground. The Allegretto marking need not be translated into an extremely slow, uniformly sad piece. A solemn character can coexist with continuing motion. If this music is familiar as an excerpt, restore it after the Seventh’s first movement and continue into the scherzo. The selected track is the full second movement from the Vienna recording of 1975–76, rather than a separately shortened arrangement or film edit.

    Reference · Los Angeles Philharmonic: Seventh Symphony Allegretto

Listen next

Continue with Furtwängler and the Vienna Philharmonic in Eroica, comparing how the same orchestra shapes a large symphonic form with another conductor and another work.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 Eroica ↗
References & editorial note

Written for English readers. Album facts are referenced below; listening suggestions are editorial interpretations. AI-assisted editorial review; not independently human-reviewed.