Beethoven

Nearly every survey of the most widely-performed composers of Western classical music has listed Ludwig van Beethoven at the very top. Unlike many composers, Beethoven has remained continuously and nearly universally beloved ever since his death in 1827. On this episode of Arizona Encore, we delve into a selection of music that illustrates Beethoven’s genius and enduring popularity.

Among Beethoven’s many innovations was his dramatic expansion of the standard symphony orchestra, and we begin our program with a prime example, the Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72a. The work was originally intended to set the stage for Beethoven’s only opera, Leonore, which was eventually retitled Fidelio. The work was the third of Beethoven’s four attempts to compose a suitable overture for the opera; he ultimately rejected this third draft because he felt it was only suitable as a standalone concert work.

Though Beethoven was a skilled orchestrator, many of his pioneering compositional methods are most clearly showcased in his intimate chamber music, such as the String Trio in C Minor, Op. 9 No. 3 and the Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 5 No. 2. Both pieces encapsulate Beethoven’s experimentations with the classical structures and motivic principles that he inherited from the preceding generation of European composers. The program concludes with one of Beethoven’s early piano sonatas, the Piano Sonata in F Major, Op. 10 No. 2. In this work, Beethoven’s status as Vienna’s reigning young keyboard virtuoso is evident, as is his desire to constantly push the technical and expressive limits of his own compositional abilities.