Symphony No. 3 E flat Major op. 55 & No. 4 B flat Major op. 60

Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica"):

"A great, wild fantasy… hardly a symphony" one audience member from the premiere of the Third Symphony proclaimed. Another moaned: "…it lasts a whole hour!" With the premiere of the Third Symphony in 1804, Beethoven forever altered the relationship between artist and audience.

Originally, the symphony was dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte and intended to celebrate to great ideals of the French Revolution. Upon hearing of Napoleon declaring himself emperor, Beethoven flew into a rage, obliterating the original dedication, ironically retitling the score "Eroica: To the Memory of a Great Man"..

Stylistically, the Third Symphony is a further development of ideas first encountered in the Second Symphony, but in terms of scope, expressive power and artistic intent, completely divorced itself from the world of the Classical Symphony and ushered in the Age of Romanticism in music.


Symphony No. 4:

After the amazing stylistic developments of the first three symphonies, the 4th Symphony is like a great sigh of relief after an enormous workload. While generally overlooked in favor of the two musical mountains that surround it, this immensely witty work is scored with a light, almost chamber music touch. Choosing to deal with less "weighty" subjects in his Fourth Symphony, Beethoven turned his attention to matters of form, tonal relation and musical architecture, creating not only a bridge from the "Eroica" to Fifth but a thoroughly well-crafted and beautiful score in its own right.