It is one of the most popular symphonies ever: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, also called Eroica. Here it is performed by the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Boder at the Beethovenfest Bonn 2021 at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB).

(00:00) Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, Eroica
(00:36) I. Allegro con brio
(17:38) II. Marcia funebre (Adagio assai)
(30:18) III. Scherzo (Allegro vivace)
(36:03) IV. Finale: Allegro molto - Poco andante – Presto

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) began planning his Symphony No. 3 in the fall of 1802, composing most of it in 1803, and probably not completing it until early 1804. The private premiere happened in the same year. The first public performance took place on April 7, 1805 and was conducted by Beethoven himself.

Because of the epithet ‘Eroica’ (the Heroic one), Beethoven’s third symphony is commonly linked to Napoleon. However, Beethoven’s relationship to Napoleon was rather ambivalent: on the one hand, he was fascinated by Napoleon’s ideals, but at the same time he was deeply repelled by the fact that he had proclaimed himself emperor. Later, however, Beethoven is said to have revered Napoleon. His ambivalent attitude is also evidenced by the addition of the words “written on Bonaparte” to the copy of the score, which he initially erased, but later added in again.

It is also unknown, however, who the hero could be to whom Beethoven dedicated the Eroica with the words “Sinfonia Eroica composta per celebrare la morte d’un Eroe”. Researchers doubt that he could have meant Napoleon. Whatever the case, Beethoven dedicated his third symphony to a hero whose funeral he commemorates in the second movement with a brilliant funeral march and who he resurrects triumphantly at the end of the fourth movement. Perhaps it is precisely this range of emotions, from serious, deepest mourning to joyfully enthusiastic exaltation that makes Beethoven’s Eroica so appealing.

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