Beethoven 250 Part 5 Symphony #5

Celebrating the 100th Birthdays of: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Tony Bennett, Julie London, Big Mama Thorton, Buddy Greco, Stan Freberg, Chuck Berry, And Ray Brown. 

Songs include Valencia by Paul Whiteman, Black Bottom Stomp by Jelly Roll Morton, White House Blues by Charlie Poole, Hebbie Jebbies by Louis Armstrong, Lost Your Head Blues by Bessie Smith and I'm Sitting On Top Of the World by Al Jolson. 

For the last show of 2025, records left off of earlier podcasts, plus a tribute to musicinas who passed away this year. Songs include: Don't Trust Nobody by Victoria Spivey, The Waltzing Cat by Leroy Anderson, Lamento Borincino by Lydia Mendoza, I'll Never Be the Same by Art Tatu ... Show More

Synopsis No four notes in classical music are more familiar than those that open Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Their powerful psychological resonance has often extended beyond music into overtly political contexts. For example, on today’s date in 1941, the British Broadcasting Comp ... Show More

In the final episode of the series, Andy takes a look at some of Beethoven’s later works and asks his guests to explain which 1 piece of his music best describes the great composer’s legacy and influence. References to tour merch, Wimpy and privet hedges may also feature. Many th ... Show More

<p>Today begins a pretty massive project for Sticky Notes - a complete Beethoven cycle over the next few weeks! We start of course with Beethoven's 1st symphony. Some people tend to think of Beethoven's 1st as a cautious foray into the symphonic world, but I couldn't disagree mor ... Show More

When we listen closely to the Fifth, we hear a testament to self-expression and determination. Which means that we get to decide how to honor this symphony today, whether that means taking a break from Beethoven to commission new works from underrepresented composers, bringing ne ... Show More

You know Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. You’ve heard it in films, advertisements, parodied in Saturday morning cartoons and disco-ized in Saturday Night Fever. The Fifth Symphony is a given, so much so that it blends into the background. You know this piece, but how well? Of all the ... Show More

On this edition of All Songs Considered, we celebrate the life of Beethoven and the lasting powers of his music in the 250 years since his birth. 

Before Beethoven’s time, classical music culture looked and sounded quite different. When Mozart premiered his Symphony 31 in the late 1700s, it was standard for audiences to clap, cheer, and yell “da capo!” (Italian for “from the beginning!”) in the middle of a performance. Afte ... Show More

We’ll begin at the beginning - in Bonn, to be precise, where Beethoven was born in 1770. Andy finds out about the young Ludwig’s home life, including a supportive mother and a less than supportive father. How did Beethoven’s upbringing shape his personality and work ethic? What w ... Show More

History repeats itself this week with an episode from the HISTORY This Week archives: May 7, 1824. One of the great musical icons in history, Ludwig Van Beethoven, steps onto stage at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna. The audience is electric, buzzing with anticipation for a bra ... Show More