Beethoven’s Fifth Interpretation Beethoven, with his passion for music and unavoidable loss of hearing, led an incredibly frustrating life. Listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, one can hear the conflict. In the first movement Allegro con Brio in C minor, Beethoven alternates between two themes: one harsh and furious, the other sweet and gentle. The duration of notes, quality of sound, pitch, and intensity created in and between these sections guide the listener through the characteristics of this torturously beautiful piece. Listening, you are struck for the first time with the opening “ta-ta-ta-taaa”. Full of ominous, looming energy. Immediately I feel tense and anxious for what comes next. Within this theme there is a phrase