This series of talks will describe how Beethoven changed the symphony from the classical form developed by Haydn and Mozart to turn it into the most important purely musical form. After Beethoven, composers were judged for their compositions of symphonies more than with any other musical form.

These talks will take you through how Beethoven changed the symphony to make it express his values and ideals. Beginning with the change of the third movement from an aristocratic dance called a Minuet into an expression of profound struggles with his demons. He shifted the center of gravity of the symphony towards the end to make it undergo transformations that would lead to a cathartic climax at the end of the work, as well as at the end of the other movements. This was especially important in the first movements, which defined the narrative of the work.

He stretched the symphony, opening up space to develop fully his ideas and struggles. Each symphony became something akin to a Greek tragedy, which takes the listener through a transformative experience, so that at the end, you become a new person. I would say you become a better person.

You will hear many symphonies in full, with detailed analysis of the structure and the themes in each movement, something very important in understanding these works. In the first talk, I will talk about the first two symphonies, and listen to some sections or movements, and hear some of them completely. Also, in this talk I will explain some important musical forms for symphonic movements. You will be able to see that first talk for free so that you can sample the style of these presentations.

The Fourth Symphony will not be analyzed in these talks. The reason for this is that I don’t think that the Fourth, beautiful symphony that it is, does not add anything new in terms of changes to the symphony. If you purchase this series of talks, you will be able to download all nine symphonies conducted by me, including the Fourth. In the pdf included in the download, I explain my views on this work, as well of short versions of my views of all the symphonies. I hope you sign up for these talks and accompany me on a marvelous intellectual and emotional experience.