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April 2, 2011 7:30 pm → Great Hall, GBPAC, Cedar Falls

Beethoven – Symphony no. 5

An in-depth multimedia exploration of Beethoven’s Fifth, written and produced by Jason Weinberger and the WCFSO.

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Review: WCFSO successfully presents one of history’s mightiest works, Beethoven’s Fifth
by George Day
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
April 8, 2011

Playing only one symphonic work, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jason Weinberger, recently presented their April subscription concert. A large audience attended the event in the Great Hall at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

To say ‘only one work’ might give the impression that the concert was shorter and thinner than usual. How far off the mark that would be, for the lone work was one of history’s mightiest: the Fifth of Ludwig Van Beethoven. It is a great and popular piece of which Brian Huges rightly wrote [in the program note]: ‘No work has impacted the course of music history like Beethoven’s Fifth.’

In addition to the superb reading of the Beethoven symphony, the audience was privileged to hear a fine illustrated lecture by Weinberger about the composer’s life and times. Four members of the orchestra spoke about their parts in the work at hand and their personal feelings about it. Obviously a profound work of art, the Fifth leads us to ask ‘What does it mean?’ A possible answer is that it has no meaning. Still, oceans of ink have been spilled in the many attempts to answer the question.

The entire Fifth Symphony is built on just two notes. They recur over and over again, in various guises, in virtually every measure of the piece, a wonder of organic unity. An understanding and appreciation of that unity is what can lead us, Beethoven is likely saying, to an understanding and appreciation of life itself.

Note: All reviews are edited for spelling and length.