Composer · Classical
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770–1827 · German
Beethoven needs little introduction, but the period in which he wrote his Second Symphony does. Born in Bonn in 1770 and trained in Vienna under Haydn, by 1800 he was already one of the most talked-about pianist-composers in Vienna. Around the same time, Beethoven had to face an alarming truth: his hearing was deteriorating, and would never recover. By 1802 he had retreated to the village of Heiligenstadt outside Vienna, where, in a state of suicidal despair, he wrote the famous letter to his brothers known as the Heiligenstadt Testament, in which he confessed his condition and his agony. The letter, never sent in his lifetime, was found among his papers after his death.
Works
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E flat major, op. 73 (“Emperor”) 1
- Coriolan Overture in C minor, op. 62 2
- Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123 3
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 2
- Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 3
- Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 3
- Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 (‘Emperor’) 2
- Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 36 2
- Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60 1
- Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 1
- Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (‘Pastoral’) 1
- Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 4
- Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93 1
- Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (‘Choral’) 2
- Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56 1
- Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 4
Performed at
Upcoming
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Emilie Mayer’s Faust and Beethoven’s Fifth Mayer · Mozart · Beethoven
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A Fortieth Birthday in Tokyo Beethoven · Hayashi · Mozart
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Two Symphonies in D Beethoven · Brahms
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Pappano’s Vaughan Williams, with Bruce Liu in Beethoven Vaughan Williams · Beethoven
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Buchbinder at Eighty: Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann Haydn · Beethoven · Schumann
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Beethoven’s Ninth, Two Hundred Years On Beethoven
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Klaus Mäkelä conducts Beethoven’s Seventh, Lisa Batiashvili plays Sibelius Schumann · Sibelius · Beethoven
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Shostakovich’s Eighth, and Maxim Vengerov in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Beethoven · Shostakovich
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On Tour at Carnegie Hall: Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and Ein Heldenleben Beethoven · Strauss
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Janine Jansen plays Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Beethoven · Takemitsu · Roussel
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Mitsuko Uchida plays Beethoven, Vladimir Jurowski conducts Bruckner’s Third Haydn · Beethoven · Bruckner
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Symphonic Landscapes: Kirill Petrenko and Leif Ove Andsnes in Sibelius, Grieg and the Pastoral Symphony Sibelius · Grieg · Beethoven
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Muti’s Bridge from Haydn to Beethoven Haydn · Strauss · Beethoven
Past guides
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Poetry and Pastoral in Taipei Beethoven · Brahms
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Grace and Grandeur Beethoven · Brahms
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Classics Live: Beethoven’s Ninth in the Ziggo Dome Glinka · Grieg · Brahms · Verdi · Rossini · Beethoven
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Ólafsson’s ‘Emperor’ and Prokofiev’s Triumph Beethoven · Prokofiev
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Ehnes Plays Barber, and Beethoven’s Eighth Vivaldi · Barber · Beethoven
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Heroes and Tyrants: From Beethoven to Shostakovich Beethoven · Shostakovich
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Stutzmann: Beethoven’s Third Concerto, Rienzi and Der Rosenkavalier Beethoven · Wagner · Strauss
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Looking Back to Move Forward: Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven Stravinsky · Tchaikovsky · Beethoven
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Bronfman’s ‘Emperor’, and Elgar’s Enigma Beethoven · Koide · Elgar
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Oberon’s Horn to the Dance Weber · Bruch · Beethoven
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Szeps-Znaider’s Beethoven and Elgar’s First Beethoven · Elgar
Sources 2
- Heiligenstadt Testament, Wikipedia
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Wikipedia