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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Egmont Overture opus 84
The overture and incidental music to Goethe's "Egmont" were written by Beethoven in the years 1809-1810. At the time Beethoven was living in Vienna, a city recently invaded by the French. The play told the story of the Count of Egmont, beheaded in in 1568 by the Duke of Alba, because of his resistance to Spanish occupation.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
Piano Concerto no. 4 in G opus 58
Beethoven composed his Concerto in G major in 1805-06, and performed it in a private concert at Prince Lobkowitz's residence in Vienna before giving the public premiere at the Theater an der Wien on December 22, 1808. The G major Concerto was the last work Beethoven composed for his own use. The public premiere was part of the famous concert in which he made his last appearance as soloist with an orchestra. However the concerto was not a great success and was neglected until the young Felix Mendelssohn, established it in its rightful place when he performed it in Leipzig in 1836.
This concerto is one of the several major works Beethoven dedicated to his friend, pupil, and patron the Archduke Rudolph
Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Symphony no. 12 in D minor opus 112
Dmitry Shostakovich composed his Twelfth Symphony in 1961, subtitling it The Year of 1917 and dedicating it to Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution. The Symphony was premiered that October by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor yevgeny Mravinsky. This was the last Shostakovich symphony which Mravinsky premiered. His refusal to give the first performance of the Thirteenth symphony, Babi Yar, caused a permanent rift in their working relationship.
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