A fateful knock and expressive warmth at the BSO

It is doubtful that composer Ludwig van Beethoven could have predicted the far-reaching effect that his “Symphony No. 5” would have on the world through time. Two hundred years after its composition, kids at play still sound that four-note “da, da, da DUM,” as a warning of something ominous.

Of this ubiquitous four-note motif, Beethoven himself commented, “Thus Fate knocks at the door.” The description, forever associated with the work, has earned it the sobriquet “Fate.”