Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony can sound like two completely different pieces — depending on the tempo world you choose.
In this episode, Stefan and I compare our Whole Beat version (played in Czerny’s brilliant piano transcription) with John Eliot Gardiner’s fast modern interpretation. The contrast is extreme… and revealing.
We talk about why ta-ta-ta-TAA turns into something like a triplet at today’s speeds, how Allegro con brio was understood in Beethoven’s time, and why 19th-century critics were already complaining that musicians played too fast.
Listen to the complete episode on Substack: wimwinters.substack.com/p/the-blitzing-speed-of-beethovens?r=6ga1ux
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📱 Website: ▶authenticsound.org
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony can sound like two completely different pieces — depending on the tempo world you choose.
In this episode, Stefan and I compare our Whole Beat version (played in Czerny’s brilliant piano transcription) with John Eliot Gardiner’s fast modern interpretation. The contrast is extreme… and revealing.
We talk about why ta-ta-ta-TAA turns into something like a triplet at today’s speeds, how Allegro con brio was understood in Beethoven’s time, and why 19th-century critics were already complaining that musicians played too fast.
Listen to the complete episode on Substack: wimwinters.substack.com/p/the-blitzing-speed-of-beethovens?r=6ga1ux
--
🙋Join our Patreon community and help us create more content▶patreon.com/authenticsound
--
📩Stay informed! Join our mailinglist (yes we have one too!) 👉bit.ly/as-mailinglist
--
📱 Website: ▶authenticsound.org
