John Eliot Gardiner and the ORR on Beethoven’s Symphonies

To give you a flavour of this monumental project, we are releasing a nine-part series of films where John Eliot Gardiner will give his thoughts on Beethoven’s musical mind, and the orchestra will be seen rehearsing the symphonies. Watch all films in the series now by clicking the links below:

Symphony No. 1: Beethoven announces himself - click here to watch

Symphony No. 2: Expanding the canvas - click here to watch

Symphony No. 3 : Heroism and shock tactics - click here to watch

Symphony No. 4: Composing for all eternity - click here to watch

Symphony No. 5: Subversive subtexts - click here to watch

Symphony No. 6: Pantheism and camaraderie - click here to watch

Symphony No. 7: Dithyrambic abandon - click here to watch

Symphony No. 8: A tribute to Haydn - click here to watch

Symphony No. 9: ‘Up above the stars he must dwell’ - click here to watch

Beethoven’s process of composition meant wrestling not just with beauty and emotion but also with political and humanitarian themes. During these uncertain times, perhaps more than any other composer, he gives us a feeling of triumph over adversity. The symphonies express Beethoven’s own bravery in the face of personal problems and these documentaries capture John Eliot Gardiner and the ORR tackling the music with a mixture of scholarship, energy, imagination and a complete devotion to Beethoven’s miraculous vision.

Beethoven’s skill was prodigious and Promethean. He was utterly single-minded - determined to make the most of his own talents and to overcome the obstacles and tragedies that blighted his personal life. His bravery was astonishing - as was his belief that man has it within himself to overcome his own debilitating faults, both as an individual and in society, and to aspire to a better life. We don’t have to look very far beyond the current political situation to see how urgently we need to emulate that bravery, that boldness of vision and the tenacity with which Beethoven defended such important values.
John Eliot Gardiner