Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Andrew Manze conducts the rhythmic, dance-like music as it builds towards ecstasy.
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Tuesday 19 May 2026 15.00
About the video
- Published online 19 May 2026.
- Filmed 9 and 11 April 2026.
- The video is approximately 35 minutes.
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was premiered in December 1813 and became an immediate success. Critics suggested it might be his finest symphony, with its wealth of melody and direct appeal: it is outward-looking music of extraordinary energy and rhythmic intensity.
It is above all the rhythmic element that holds the work together – this is a symphony that dances its way forward. The first movement has a tentative introduction before the music begins to swing. The popular second movement contains a melancholic theme, yet here, too, the music remains strongly rhythmic. The third movement is humorous and playful, while the finale is sheer ecstasy. Richard Wagner described the music as “the apotheosis of the dance” – elevated, that is, to a divine level.
At the inauguration of Konserthuset Stockholm on 7 April 1926, The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra performed, among other works, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.
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The music
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Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7
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Participants
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Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
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Andrew Manze conductor
