Liner Notes

Beethoven’s Biggest Hit

We now pull out the third record from this seven disk box set. A record that features a relatively unknown work AND probably one of the most famous works in music history. Talk about a dichotomy.

This is music from the immortal Ludwig Van Beethoven. His symphonies live on in performances to this very day.

Plus I decided to play three movements from each symphony. I thought this joint needed some classing up.

So, settle in and get ready to hear the man who is said to have set music free in Volume 227: Beethoven’s 4th & 5th.

Here is the promised Leonard Bernstein video.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Go Directly to Any Song or Break on YouTube:

00:00 – Season’s Show Intro
00:49 – Episode Introduction
01:54 – Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Op. 60/First Movement – Adagio; Allegro Vivace
10:27 – First Break: Why I chose this record for this episode
13:08 – Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Op. 60/Second Movement – Adagio
22:15 – Second Break: More information about the record, its marketplace value and what condition my dad’s vinyl is in.
26:19 – Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Op. 60/Fourth Movement – Allegro Ma Non Troppo
32:42 – Third Break: Artist Bio
35:55 – Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67/First Movement – Allegro Con Brio
42:41 – Fourth Break: this episode’s Interesting Side Note.
47:31 – Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67/Third Movement – Allegro
51:33 – Fifth Break: Final Words
54:13 – Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67/Fourth Movement – Allegro
01:02:05 – Close

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 227 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

We now pull out the third record from this seven disk box set. A record that features a relatively unknown work AND probably one of the most famous works in music history. Talk about a dichotomy.

This is music from the immortal Ludwig Van Beethoven. His symphonies live on in performances to this very day.

Plus I decided to play three movements from each symphony. I thought this joint needed some classing up.

So, settle in and get ready to hear the man who is said to have set music free in Volume 227: Beethoven’s 4th & 5th.

[Music: Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Op. 60/First Movement – Adagio; Allegro Vivace]

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and The Beecham Choral Society under the direction of René Leibowitz performing Ludwig Van Beethoven’s First Movement – Adagio; Allegro Vivace
Of his Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Opus 60.

This is the fourth-published symphony by Beethoven. It was composed in 1806 and premiered in March 1807 at a private concert in Vienna at the town house of Prince Lobkowitz. The first public performance was at the Burgtheater in Vienna in April 1808.

The symphony is in four movements. It is predominantly genial in tone, and has tended to be overshadowed by the weightier Beethoven symphonies that preceded and followed it – the Third Symphony (Eroica) and the Fifth. Although later composers including Berlioz, Mendelssohn and Schumann greatly admired the work, it has not become as widely known among the music-loving public as the Eroica, the Fifth and other Beethoven symphonies.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

This is one of those box sets I kept passing over during the first three seasons, and I have no real excuse other than I was enjoying the jazz and other types of music my dad collected. Plus it’s tough to play some of these classical recordings and break them up into anything that makes sense. I had almost forgotten about this set.

I’m glad I stumbled upon it. Because we are now on to record three. These are great recordings. And I’ve been enjoying listening to them as I continue to digitize them.

Since I have thrown all show formatting aside lately, I will play most of the music on this very long playing record.

Now, I did want to read to you what the internal booklet says about the fourth symphony.

The 4th is not nearly so popular as the symphony that precedes or that which follows it. Deservedly so. It is a pleasant work, but in spite of its many felicities it never approaches the power of the Eroica or the intensity of the fifth. It’s most beautiful movement is the second in which two apparently opposite ideas are interwoven to form a tapestry of muted and gentle colors.

OK…Let’s hear that long second movement now.

[Music: Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Op. 60/Second Movement – Adagio]

Second Movement of Beethoven’s fourth symphony – Adagio

Now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Beethoven, René Leibowitz, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Beecham Choral Society – The Nine Symphonies Of Beethoven
Label: Reader’s Digest – RD 4-6
Format: 7 x Vinyl, LP Box Set
Released: 1966
Genre: Classical
Style: Romantic, Choral

This is record 3 of a 6 record set. We will hear three movements from the 4th Symphony and three from the fifth.

There are extensive liner notes inside the front cover of the box set. There is a very extensive 20-page booklet included with the set.

I want to read a few lines from that booklet.

What is it that sets these Symphonies apart?

The reason, in my opinion, is this: Beethoven took music off the pedestal of a formal beauty and immersed it in the whirlpool of life. He roughened it up, so to speak. He shook it and he pulled it until it began to do what he expected it to do, that is, to express the problems that you and I have, to evoke emotions that you and I feel, to make it move and struggle exuberantly, as we ourselves do. In these Symphonies he set to music everybody’s heartache – and everybody’s smile. He made music more human. If in this process music lost some of its aristocratic reserve, it gained an immediacy. That is why more people can respond at once to a Beethoven symphony than can respond to Mozart or Hayden.

Maybe, I’ll eventually publish the full liner notes from this box set. They are really enjoyable and educational.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$59.99 High
$10.00 Low

$29.84 Average
$25.00 Median

Last sold on Feb 05, 2025 for $20.

My dads’ records in this set are in fair condition. Not as much crackle and pop as I expected. It does get in the way of some of the quiet bits, but it’s not too bad.

The surface is really clean and for the most part scratch free. The records are protected in a quality thick paper sleeve.

The box is in fair to poor condition. Quite a lot of severe wear along the wide edge of the box set. Beethoven’s head shot is in blue and it looks as if it was lifted off a 20 dollar bill. There is also a scrape in it that looks like tape had been applied and then lifted. The back is still pretty white.

The internal booklet is in good condition and contains so much information that.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at 10 bucks.

Next up. Yes we are skipping the third movement. This is intentional. I rarely ever play an entire album. I’m just telling you because I was attacked for not including the third movement the last time I featured this box set.

[Music: Symphony No. 4 In B-Flat Major, Op. 60/Fourth Movement – Allegro Ma Non Troppo]

Bringing the fourth symphony to a conclusion with the
Fourth Movement – Allegro Ma Non Troppo

Since we have talked about Beethoven before, I am just going to do a quick summary of his life.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 1770 in Bonn, Germany. From a young age, he showed remarkable talent for music, which his father, Johann, eagerly encouraged. His early lessons were strict, but his passion for music blossomed, and by the time he was a teenager, Beethoven was already performing for nobility and studying with famous musicians.
As he grew older, Beethoven moved to Vienna, Austria, where he became a well-known composer and pianist. He created some of his greatest works during this time, including symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets. Despite his success, Beethoven faced many hardships, including losing his hearing. By his late twenties, he began to notice signs of deafness, but this did not stop him from composing extraordinary music that is still celebrated today

Beethoven’s later years were marked by both triumph and struggle. He created pieces that are now considered masterpieces, such as his Ninth Symphony, which includes the famous “Ode to Joy.” However, he lived a lonely life and faced ongoing health problems. Beethoven passed away in 1827 at the age of 56, leaving behind a legacy as one of the greatest composers in history.
OK…Let’s get ready to hear the four most famous notes in music history.
From the internal booklet.

Here is the potent and concentrated and ultimate distillation of the genius that was beethoven. that was said by Charles O’Connell in the Victor book of the symphony. This symphony is perhaps the most famous single piece of music there is. Within our time it has become even more famous, the First theme having assumed an extra musical meaning and serving as a theme song for victory. of this theme Beethoven is supposed to have said, quote thus fate knocks at the door. unquote I am slightly suspicious of the remark: it doesn’t sound like beethoven. but true or not true, the four notes which, without any introduction, I heard at the outset and which act as a germinal theme of the music material of the first movement are now and will forever be known as the Fate motif. from this theme, which is as non-committal as any you are likely to encounter, Beethoven builds a movement in which, as in the third symphony, we meet the spirit victorious. Once more we are confronted by Beethoven’s belief that fate, whether knocking at the door or breaking in without a warning, can be mastered.

[Music: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67/First Movement – Allegro Con Brio]

Once again, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and The Beecham Choral Society under the direction of René Leibowitz performing Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67 First Movement – Allegro Con Brio.

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with alternate endings for that first movement.

I found a great video of the great conductor and music educator Leonard Bernstein discussing Beethoven’s fifth for a TV show. A small part of the video demonstrates notations he found in original manuscripts.

[PLAY VIDEO]

I’ll drop the link to that video in the episode’s liner notes.

Now, onto the third movement, which has a quirk of its own.

One of the most astonishing moments of the symphony occurs at the end of the third movement, when it flows into the fourth without a pause. the music seems to die down completely, the drum carrying the Rhythm forward while the strings spin a web in some subterranean cave.

[Music: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67/Third Movement – Allegro]

That was the Third Movement – the first Allegro

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

I know this one is a bit longer than usual, but I thought it was worth it to share this great recording.

I did just recently see the Cleveland Orchestra perform Beethoven’s Fifth. It was actually a dream come true. It was my first trip to the Orchestra’s home Severance Music Center in February of 2024.

It was the second piece of the concert. The first was Schubert’s 6th symphony. Then after intermission and the orchestra adding more chairs, Conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste wasted no time after barely letting the patrons settle into their seats.

We heard those first four notes and we were off. I barely noticed that more than 25 minutes had passed when the audience started applauding. I happened to be lucky enough to be sitting next to a former orchestra violinist and had tears in his eyes.

Not only was it a dream come true but it was everything I expected. I am so glad I took that opportunity to see this brilliant and famous piece of music performed by some of the best musicians in the world.

I’m not sure I remember this album cover from my growing up days in the house.

My dad usually had mostly his jazz and rat pack albums out near the record player in the living room. I know he collected more classical music later in life as he switched over to CDs.

It is kind of a recognizable cover. Like I said when I covered the condition the box set is in, I mentioned that it basically looks like Beethoven was put on some denomination of US currency, but in blue.

Other than the Reader’s Digest logo in the top left corner, the long title of the artist and then the album are listed in various sized serif font. Some of it italicized and some of it not.

The back is just white box.

The White spine has gold lettering of the box set title.

Before we rejoin the low tympani already in progress, I’ll read the last line of the paragraph I started this break with.

Suddenly the web is torn, the walls of the cave split and almost at once the whole Orchestra bursts into a surging crescendo.

[Music: Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67/Fourth Movement – Allegro]

Fourth Movement – the continuation of the Allegro from Beethoven’s fifth symphony.

And there you have selections from record three of this great box set.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 227: Beethoven’s 4th & 5th

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 228: A Bobby Happy Mothers Day

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.