Eroica

Starring Ian Hart as a properly surly Beethoven, this sumptuous BBC film--subtitled “The Day That Changed Music Forever”--recreates the first performance of Beethoven's revolutionary Third Symphony, later called the “Eroica,” by the private orchestra maintained by the composer's patron Prince Lobkowitz in Vienna on June 9, 1804. Understandably, it takes some poetic license in depicting the event: 1) inserting an episode dramatizing Beethoven's feelings for a countess who rebuffs him, 2) advancing his alteration of the original dedication to Napoleon by several months, and 3) presenting an orchestra that can sight-read so monumental a piece flawlessly after only a few initial stumbles. But it's easy to suspend disbelief in the face of the elegance of the production, the excellent acting, and the superb playing of the Orchestre R(volutionnaire et Romantique on original instruments (some members actually make up the onscreen band, with actors interspersed among them). Despite the liberties it takes for dramatic effect, Eroica--presented in superb DTS surround sound and LPCM stereo--forcefully captures the significance of this moment in the development of Western music. DVD extras include a complete, masterful performance of the symphony by the Orchestre under John Eliot Gardiner, accompanied by visuals from the film. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)