CANCELLED: NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Krzysztof Urbański

Tatatataaa – tatatataaa! It goes without saying that this is a must in the Beethoven anniversary year: the Fifth Symphony, the most iconic of all the composer’s works, known the world over for its dramatic opening motif. Was this really fate knocking on the door, as Beethoven supposedly said to his amanuensis Anton Schindler (himself not disinclined to invent the odd story now and again)? A question that is not really that important, as it distracts attention from the essence of the music: the rhythmic power that the opening motif radiates right up to the finale, and the mastery with which Beethoven develops the motif, driving it through the different sections of the orchestra.