The original idea for the opening of this symphony, which does away with the grand introductions of the Adagio-Allegro Classical symphony (see Beethoven 1, 2, 4, and the later Haydn symphonies), was two chords – not to the two tutti tonic chords we know now, but a dominant seventh and then the tonic before starting the ‘cello melody. This is not dissimilar to the start of Beethoven 1 with its three ‘wrong’ cadences.
Composed in 1805, it is revolutionary in how he handles thematic material – a fragment of a triad here, then there, a falling figure shared across woodwind. In the development section of the first movement it seems as though the music has come off the rails – at 7:50 in the linked score/performance below, it all seems jolly nice with some scales, contrary motion, sharing of the triad figure, before moving into an angular fugue (8:05) based on the preceding double bass line. This gives way to a syncopated sequence at 8:14, only to have a series of syncopated diminished 7th sforzando chords at 8:19, which he moves to A minor (first inversion) – think of how far away that is harmonically from E flat major – to a series of chords from 8:50 with the most extraordinary harmonic clash (8:55) to almost a Beethovenian Stravinsky Rite of Spring chord at 9:00, leading to E minor – as far from E flat as you might be able to get. It’s no wonder at the first performance the orchestra were thrown by the offbeat rhythms and harmonies that it fell apart.
John Eliot Gardiner has recorded the symphonies of Beethoven and ahead of a series of performances put a short video together on each as to the context and music of each – this is for Symphony 3:
The Listening Project Blog 