Beethoven’s Second Symphony was composed during his stay at Heiligenstadt in 1802, at which time he was beginning to realize that his growing deafness was most likely incurable. The work was premiered on April 5, 1803 in Vienna at a concert conducted by the composer himself. During the same concert, his Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 as well as his oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, were also premiered. The reviews of the concert were mixed. The Second Symphony was compared, not to its advantage, with the already popular First.
The Second Symphony is one of the last works to be written in Beethoven’s “early period.” It consists of four movements with the minuet (the standard third movement of other symphonies of that time) being replaced with a scherzo, giving the composition more scope and energy. Both the scherzo and finale are filled with musical jokes that shocked the sensibilities of many contemporary critics.
The first movement, written in sonata form, begins with a slow introduction. The Adagio molto, is powerful and expansive. It creates a dramatic gesture that Beethoven used later to great effect. Still within the first movement, the Allegro con brio comes alive with nervous energy and sustains throughout the movement with lively force.
The second movement, Larghetto, is in the dominant key of A major and is one of the longest slow movements of all of Beethoven’s nine symphonies. It is clear that the composer was influenced by folk music and the pastoral, foreshadowing his Symphony No. 6 in F Major (Pastoral).
The third movement, Scherzo: Allegro features a melodious oboe and bassoon quartet enclosed in an Austrian dance.
The fourth movement, Allegro molto, contains fast-moving string passages. This is a humorous movement that starts with an unusual opening motif. Described as a “hiccup” or a belch. The movement, once compared to a thrashing dragon, sent shock waves through the critics and began a new era in symphonic writing.
Program notes by © Susan Halpern 2025