Description
The German composer Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 between 1804 and 1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music and is also widely considered one of the cornerstones of western music.
The symphony begins with a distinctive four-note ‘short-short-short-long’ motif, often characterized as ‘fate knocking at the door’ – giving rise to the symphony’s nickname as the ‘Fate Symphony’. Since World War II it has sometimes been referred to as the ‘Victory Symphony’. V is, coincidentally, also the Roman numeral character for the number five and the phrase ‘V for Victory’ became a campaign of the Allies of WWII after Winston Churchill starting using it as a catchphrase in 1940. Some 30 years after the piece was written, the rhythm of the opening phrase was used for the letter ‘V’ in Morse code. The symphony has been incorporated into numerous films and TV shows, including Fantasia 2000, in which Beethoven’s score accompanies an animation of abstract shapes that form butterflies battling it out against a swarm of bats.
The first movement of Beethoven’s masterful and powerful symphony is arranged here for bassoon choir comprising eight bassoons and contrabassoon. Part B4 is easy and optional, as are the two included parts for mini bassoons in F and G. To maximise the antiphonal effects the players should sit in a semicircle with players A1 and B1 opposite each other and the remaining parts cascading inwards, with the contra (and easy optional parts) seated centrally.
