The apparent weakness

Imagine being a modern-day politician who has to hold an election rally; you would certainly find a communications expert at your side who would suggest what clothes to wear, what posture to maintain, what gestures to avoid, how much to smile to capture the sympathy of those present. Because it is known that non-verbal language weighs more than 50% in the message transmitted.

And if your speech were to be given on the radio? Well, in this case you would have to rely on your ability to speak with ease, respecting the times and capturing the attention of the listeners only through your voice. Difficult, right? Now imagine that the content of the speech is not the vague and captivating promises of any election campaign, but a dramatic announcement such as the entry of a nation into war and that the one who pronounces it is not an experienced radio host but a stuttering king.

It is the story of the Duke of York, second son of King George V, afflicted since childhood by a serious form of stuttering. His story is told in the film The King's Speech, from 2010, directed by Tom Hooper and winner of 4 Oscars. The protagonist, played by an extraordinary Colin Firth, is supported by a very unorthodox Australian speech therapist, who with his bizarre techniques will help him to heal from his stuttering and to face, having ascended to the throne with the name of George VI, the most difficult speech of his life. While the world is falling into the abyss of the Second World War, George VI finds himself alone behind a huge microphone, inciting the English to resist the Nazi madness.

To accompany the king's radio speech, Tom Hooper chooses one of the most moving and intense pieces ever written by Beethoven, the second movement of the Seventh Symphony, considered by Beethoven himself to be one of his best works. This Allegretto opens with an A minor chord, which makes us understand that the king's speech will be dramatic.
The subdued theme, initially presented by the violas, courageously tries to rise higher and higher, passing to the violins and then to the woodwinds, with extraordinary emotional force. The rhythmic pulse is constant and unstoppable like the dramatic course of history, the melody expresses all the melancholy of those who find themselves facing the inevitable. "We have been forced into a conflict because we are asked to face the challenge of a principle that, if it were to prevail, would be fatal to every civil order in the world. If we all remain resolutely faithful to this then, with the help of the Lord, we will succeed in prevailing".

The first performance of the Seventh Symphony, which took place in Vienna on 8 December 1813, was a triumph, so much so that the very famous Allegretto, with its melody full of pathos, had to be repeated.
The 1930s were the golden age of radio, the years in which crowds were inflamed by Hitler's skillful oratory. Nevertheless, George VI was able to conquer the English with his humanity, transmitting all the strength that was hidden under the apparent weakness, the same that Beethoven's notes communicate to us.

Mauro Tabasso with Valentina Giaresti
NP December 2024