The opening of the Fifth Symphony is more famous. The climax of Symphony No. 9 is more uplifting. But there's something about the second movement from Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 that makes it uniquely powerful.
In recent years, the music has added musical heft to key moments in films like “The King's Speech” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”
Here's a chance to hear that gorgeous, plodding music in an unusually stripped-down setting. The Sphere Ensemble, a chamber orchestra based in Denver, recently played its version of the Allegretto in the CPR Performance Studio.
The strings-only arrangement gives a different texture to the ominous opening chord and highlights the tension that smolders right up to the final notes.
Watch footage of a Sphere Ensemble “flash mob” performance at the University of Colorado in 2014, and explore Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony in our ever-popular Beethoven 9@9 podcast.
More exclusive music from the CPR Performance Studio:
