Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 & Prometheus Overture (Remastered) London Symphony Orchestra & André Previn

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67:
• 1 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio 09:18
• 2 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: II. Andante con moto 11:18
• 3 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: III. Scherzo. Allegro 05:25
• 4 Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: IV. Allegro 11:53
• The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43:
• 5 Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43: Overture 05:13
• Total Runtime 43:07

Info for Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 & Prometheus Overture (Remastered)

The Fifth Symphony was finished in 1808, although its composition had occupied Beethoven's attention for many years before. At its first performance, at Vienna, it was numbered on the program as the Sixth ; and the Pastoral appeared as the Fifth. Both were finished in the same year, but the priority of the C minor is clearly established by Beethoven's own numbering in the autograph. The C minor Symphony is probably the best known and most admired of the nine, perhaps because it is the most human in its qualities. Beethoven himself has left us a clue to its meaning, namely, that it pictures the struggle of the individual with Fate, the alternations of hope and despair, and the final triumph. In speaking of the first four notes of the opening movement, Beethoven said, some time after he had finished the symphony : "So pocht das Schicksal an die Pforte" ("Thus Fate knocks at the door"). In the Fifth, as in the Third Symphony, we find that concentration of the thought and labor which makes these two musical poems so all-powerful and overwhelming in their effect. It is not marked by a spontaneous flow of musical phrases lightly strung together, or by mere toying with musical forms; but each motive represents a concentrated essence of thought which, once heard, makes an indelible impression, and apparently admits of no change. We give only a few quotations, but bearing them in mind, the listener will be able to follow the development of this passionate outpouring of a passionate mind while brooding over its fate...quote from musicwithease.com

London Symphony Orchestra
André Previn, conductor

Digitally remastered

André Previn
Composer, conductor, and pianist André Previn left his native Germany in 1938 to live in Paris and subsequently to settle in Los Angeles in 1940. His early career orchestrating film scores at MGM led quickly to conducting engagements of symphonic repertoire and on to an international career as Music Director of orchestras in London, Los Angeles, Oslo, and Pittsburgh. In the 1980s, he concentrated increasingly on composition for the concert hall and opera. His own richly lyrical style underscores his love of the late Romantic and early twentieth-century masterpieces of which his interpretations as conductor are internationally renowned. Previn’s first opera, A Streetcar Named Desire, which he set to a libretto based on Tennessee Williams’ play, had its premiere at the San Francisco Opera in 1998 with Renée Fleming in the role of Blanche DuBois. It continues to enjoy numerous performances worldwide. Previn’s 1998 recording of the work with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra won the Grand Prix du Disque. Houston Grand Opera premiered Previn’s second opera, Brief Encounter, in May 2009.

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, written for the London Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with playwright Tom Stoppard, remains popular everywhere. Music for Boston was premiered in 2012 at Tanglewood, and was commissioned to honour the festival’s 75th anniversary. Other highlights from his recent orchestral works include a Double Concerto for Violin and Violoncello written for Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson, premiered by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2014, and performed since by orchestras across North America and Europe. Previn continued to expand his orchestral lyricism with Can Spring Be Far Behind? which premiered at Eastern Music Festival in July of 2016. His highly anticipated Concerto for Orchestra will be premiered during the 2020/21 season in celebration of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's centenary.

Following the creation of several violin concertos and sonatas, Previn’s long-standing collaboration with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter continued with his Nonet for Two String Quartets and Contrabass, which premiered in 2015 as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Previn also wrote for Vladamir Ashkenazy, Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Janet Baker, Sylvia McNair, Lynn Harrell, and Barbara Bonney.

He received numerous awards and honors for his outstanding musical accomplishments, including both the Austrian and German Cross of Merit, and the Glenn Gould Prize. He was the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Kennedy Center, the London Symphony Orchestra, Gramophone, and Classic FM. In 2010 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from The Recording Academy. His recordings have received several Grammy awards, including for his own Sonata for Violin, “Vineyard” performed by Gil Shaham, and Violin Concerto “Anne-Sophie” featuring Anne-Sophie Mutter with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1999, he was honoured as Musical America’s 'Musician of the Year' and was appointed KBE, an honourary knighthood, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1996.

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