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What? Did he say Beethoven? …is he serious? Yes; yes I did, and yes I am. There’s a reason why we’ve all heard his name and excerpts of his work – it’s because he freakin’ rocks. But I bet most of the people reading this have never actually listened to one of his symphonies from start to end. In fairness, neither had I until this past summer.

It’s highly improbable that I can say anything particularly insightful about this man or his music that hasn’t already been said by someone much more knowledgeable in classical music, so I’ll try to keep this review short. Just to put things in perspective, I want you to think of your favorite modern band that writes intricate compositions. Most likely, this group is writing for no more than 6 different parts at any given point. Now let’s look at Beethoven’s symphonies. We’re talking about between 17 and 28 individual parts for 11-18 different instruments (depending on the symphony). Plus he wrote it all by hand, sitting at a piano, without the help of any neat computer programs (of course this applies to all the composers of the past). Oh yeah, he was also completely deaf by the time he wrote his final symphony, which will forever remain one of the great artistic masterpieces of all time.

In addition to his final [9th] symphony, two of my personal favorites are the 4th and 2nd. All of them are great though and I’m not bold enough to claim that these are better than the others. When you listen to the excerpts don’t be afraid to crank it – nothing fills a room quite like a full orchestra. I only wish there were modern 5.1 digital recordings of his symphonies; that would really be something spectacular. You won’t find any crazy rhythms or mind-altering chord progressions with Beethoven, but what you will hear is masterful blending of instrumentation, exceptional control of dynamics, mature development of themes, and an incredible amount of emotion. It’s also fun to listen to his works and identify parts that were borrowed for music from our generation. The first two that jumped out at me were John Williams’ Duel of the Fates (Star Wars Ep.1) and the intro to the theme from the first Batman movie; I bet you’ll discover others as well.

Hopefully Beethoven will spark your interest in classical music, a genre which is often overlooked even by self-declared music connoisseurs. It’s always good when you can expand your music collection into previously uncharted territory. I bought a complete collection of his symphonies [conducted by Arturo Toscanini and performed by the NBC Symphony Orchestra] for $20, and this is a bargain I suggest you take advantage of as well. You can find many other versions of each symphony, but the price and completeness of the Toscanini collection is enticing.