The third movement, Scherzo, departs from the conventions of the minuet movement of Haydn and Mozart, as well as from Beethoven’s earlier scherzos, which are more joyful. It opens with a mysterious theme, played by the cellos and basses, followed by a reply from the violins. The symphony’s opening motive reappears, in slight changes, first in the horns and then in the whole orchestra. The middle section, Trio, is likewise a departure from Classical conventions. In previous symphonies (whether by Beethoven or by other composers) it was customary to reduce the texture of this section to a more modest one than that of the beginning of the movement (originally to three parts, hence the title trio); Beethoven does the complete opposite here by introducing a fugal section, in four and at times five parts. The finale immediately announces the triumph of C major with a celebratory fanfare, which the piccolo, contrabassoon and trombones join. It is written in sonata form and is significantly more extensive than the first movement. This movement also features a large coda, but the most surprising moment appears in its middle: near the end of the development, instead of a recapitulation of the opening fanfare, Beethoven goes back even further, seeming to begin the recapitulation with the music from the end of the Scherzo. The oboe, the voice of doubt or defiance in the first movement, holds long, lyrical notes over the symphony’s opening motive, which the orchestra repeats persistently. After a truncated version of the transition between the movements, a full-blown recapitulation is set in motion. In the final coda the tempo accelerates, the opening fanfare recurs in faster tempo, and the symphony ends with a triumphant chord. The Fifth Symphony is like a close friend, with whom we tend to forget to spend quality time since he is so present in our lives. A live performance of the symphony is a good opportunity to listen to it with utmost attention. Nir Cohen-Shalit
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