Symphony No. 3 E flat major op. 55 'Eroica' 'Beethoven had originally conceived of dedicating his third symphony to the First Consul of the French Republic, Bonaparte. It is reported that in 1798 Beethoven, in communication with the then envoy of the young French Republic General Bernadotte, was presented with the idea of commemorating Bonaparte in a piece of music. As he was a great admirer of Bonaparte, Beethoven readily accepted the suggestion. He expected that Bonaparte would create universal happiness and compared him with the Titan Prometheus who stole fire from the gods on behalf of the common man. Thus, it is easy to understand the acute bitterness felt by Beethoven when he learnt of Napoleon's proclamation as Emperor in 1804: 'Well, he was just a normal person. Now he will become a tyrant and trample all over human rights...' 'Bonaparte' as a title was no longer to be used. Beethoven replaced the original title 'Sinfonia grande, intitolate Bonaparte' with 'Sinfonia eroica, composita per festiggiare il sovvenire di un grand'uomo' (heroic symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man).... [more] Egmont Overture F minor op. 84 'I've embraced Beethoven's beautiful genius' judged Goethe in relation to the music composed for his tragedy. The overture has now become a concert piece in its own right and conveys the underlying heroic concept of poetry - the struggle for freedom and the victory of a people over their oppressors. Powerful chords introduce Alba, the oppressor. The plaintive voices of the Dutch tell of suffering. It is accompanied by a motif of hope and liberation. The fight begins. Egmont falls. The people's will to freedom is undaunted. The overture ends with victory fanfares, which also bring the stage music of the drama to a close. Beethoven wrote the music for 'Egmont' during the struggle for independence against Napoleon....[more] Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) Performers: K&K Philharmoniker Matthias Georg Kendlinger, conductor Track Listing: Symphony Nr. 3 E flat major op. 55 'Eroica' 1. I. Allegro con brio 2. II. Marcia funebre. Adagio assai 3. III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace 4. IV. Finale. Allegro molto Egmont Overture F minor op. 84 5. Sostenuto, ma non troppo - Allegro Timing: 52:03 |
| |||||||||||||||||||||
