Strangely enough, after a rivetting Beethoven 5 last week (David Robertson
and LSO) I was thinking along those lines too.  Certainly the first bars
would make listeners jump to attention!  It's familiar enough that even
people who don't listen to CM would enjoy it.  But you'd have to careful
which version to choose.  It depends on what your uncle and aunt were
like, as people.  Chances are they were not pompous gits, so you would
not want a version which plays up the pomp and circumstances too much.
Instead, one which is closer to the the humane and idealistic that was
Beethoven.  Like the symphony, with its give and take between keys and
themes, so is life with its up and downs.  Again, like life, it's
relentless and pulls you along.

It sounds like they were a close couple who'd been thru a lot together.
So the interplay between dominant and gentle reflects the ebb and flow
of human life.  It might fit in well with the choice of photos and film
clips - happy times and more reflective ones.  This music can be so life
affirming, that it would actually be quite interesting to translate into
a celebration of lives fully lived.  Plus, it's about the right length
to fit in without much editing.  Presumably you could fit in spoken
narrative, or add moments of silence?  And make the most of the repeats!

Anne
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