presentation , the four-note motto becomes hushed , escalating with sudden force as the first theme unfolds . Horns welcome in a second theme , a sweeping melody that , while in stark contrast to the angularity of the opening , still recalls the original germ : short-short-short-long . Following this exposition comes the development , brief but turbulent , and it is in the concluding recapitulation that Beethoven most strains against convention as the original material becomes cause for even further elaboration .
The Andante con moto begins with lilting sincerity . Homophonic fortissimo sections again invoke the opening motto , now stately and unhurried . In the Scherzo : Allegro , following a rising motive in the lower strings , that same rhythmic germ is repeated , quite severely , by horns and timpani . In the trio section , Beethoven offers a delightful fugue before returning again to the opening material .
As though unable to halt the sheer emotional momentum wrought by the previous movements , the transition into the final Allegro is achieved without pause , a blinding and brilliant explosion of C major . This triumphal sonata-form movement further transforms the motto by now so familiar to us . Escalating into an even quicker Presto , the Coda repeats main themes in quick succession and concludes with a massive cadence : 29 measures all consisting of C major chords . As Beethoven would scrawl some years later in one of his conversation books , “ Many assert that every minor piece must end in the minor . Nego ! On the contrary , I find … the major has a glorious effect . Joy follows sorrow , sunshine — rain .”
Ángel Gil-Ordóñez MUSIC DIRECTOR
Special Baltimore Performance ONE NIGHT ONLY !
Italian composer Nino Rota is best known for his iconic Academy Awardwinning score for The Godfather . Join DC ’ s premiere chamber concert orchestra as they pair Rota ’ s iconic film scores with his extraordinary yet little-known concert works .
This will be a concert you can ’ t refuse .
BEYOND THE GODFATHER
The Concert Music of NINO ROTA
The Classical Radio Voice of
MARCH 19 | 7pm
MEYERHOFF AUDITORIUM Baltimore Museum of Art
MARCH 18 | 7:30pm
TERRACE THEATER The Kennedy Center *
TICKETS AT
PostClassical . com
* March 18 performance is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center .
Instrumentation : three flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , three bassoons ; two horns , two trumpets , three trombones , percussion , and strings .
JACOB JAHIEL is a writer , violist da gamba , and arts administrator . His writing appears frequently in Early Music America ’ s EMAg , and he contributes program notes to the Boston Artists Ensemble and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra , where he also serves on staff .
MAR-APR 2025 | OVERTURE | 17