When Fate Knocks at the Door
As Schopenhauer wrote in The World as Will and Representation, music possesses a magic that transcends time and space, in which countless people have been intoxicated for thousands of years. There are many genres of music, and among them, one of the most historically enduring is the magnificent symphony. And Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, or known by its more popular name, the Fate Symphony, is one of the most brilliant gems in the crown of music.
This is perhaps the most household melody in the world: three low notes, followed by a lower syllable. No one fails to feel that the God of Fate, perhaps carrying a scythe and wearing a faint smile, has knocked on the door, causing a tremor in the heart. The magnificence and vigor of the violin concerto are incomparable to other compositions; ten thousand sounds burst forth at once, yet here alone they are not perceived as cacophony. Countless times listening to this melody played countless times over a century in the dead of night—that high pitch, that low depth reflecting each other; that intensity, that lightness harmonizing with one another. That hope and ceaseless struggle reignited by a flute fluttering over post-war ruins, that melodious tune after a beautiful, dreamlike victory… Not once has our will been defeated, but merely repeating the struggle again and again… Even in the earth-shattering tutti, the will to struggle is not ultimately destroyed.
The first movement is undoubtedly the most popular, but the works of classical composers are often not limited to just a few minutes. With the pen in his hand, Beethoven depicted with ink on the square inches of the score a giant ship of victory sailing towards the sky. Repeating again and again, it grants me healing with its beauty and sincerity, extremely imaginative and unbound by lyrics. And beneath the main soaring tones, that reciprocating melody or the beating of the timpani is incomparably perfect.
Perhaps precisely because nothing was said, much was said; and were it spoken, it would become inexpressible—this is likely the charm of pure music. Therefore, I most solemnly and enthusiastically recommend Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
My shallow understanding will surely expose me to the ridicule of the learned.