A Beethoven marathon in Vienna

Synopsis

On this day in 1808 at Vienna's Theater-an-der-Wien one of the most famous concerts in the history of classical music took place.

It was an all-Beethoven concert, with the composer himself featured as both conductor and piano soloist. The program included the premieres of both Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies. Beethoven's Fourth Piano was also on the program—along with additional piano and vocal selections, including portions of Beethoven's Mass in C.

At the last moment, Beethoven felt this still might not be quite enough music, so, considering the forces he had booked, he hastily composed his Choral Fantasy, a work that begins with a solo piano, then adds full orchestra and chorus to the mix.

The concert began at 6:30 p.m. and lasted over four hours. Contemporary reviews were mixed—but apparently Beethoven's Fifth proved popular with its first night audience, and rapidly established itself worldwide as one of classical music's greatest hits.

A less successful symphonic work had its premiere on this day in 1960, when Charles Munch conducted the Boston Symphony in the first performance of "Die Natali" by American composer Samuel Barber. This orchestral piece used familiar Christmas carols as themes, which are treated to a series of variations. Barber later expressed his own dissatisfaction with this score and withdrew it, but recycled his variations on "Silent Night" as a separate piece for solo organ.

Music Played in Today's Program

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 5 Concertgebouw Orchestra; Bernard Haitink, cond. Philips 442 076

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) Chorale Prelude on Silent Night Jeremy Fisell, organ GMCD 7145

On This Day

Births

• 1723 - German composer and gamba player Carl Friedrich Abel, in Cöthen;

• 1821 - Italian composer, doublebass player and conductor Giovanni Bottesini, in Crema;

• 1858 - Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, in Lucca;

• 1874 - Austrian composer Franz Schmidt, in Pressburg (Bratislava);

• 1883 - French-born American composer Edgard (or Edgar) Varèse, in Paris;

• 1885 - American composer and critic Deems Taylor, in New York City;

• 1900 - British composer Alan Bush, in Dulwich, South London;

• 1901 - Russian-born American conductor and arranger André Kostelanetz, in St. Petersburg;

Deaths

• 1745 - Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, age 66, during the night of December 22-23, age 66, in Dresden;

• 1950 - American composer and conductor Walter Damrosch, age 88, in New York City;

Premieres

• 1808 - Beethoven: Symphonies 5 and 6 along with the Choral Fantasy and the Piano Concerto No. 4, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, with composer as conductor and piano soloist;

• 1837 - Lortzing: opera "Zar und Zimmermann" (Csar and Carpenter), in Leipzig at the Stadttheater;

• 1888 - Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in d, Op. 108, in Budapest;

• 1906 - Glazunov: Symphony No. 8, in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Dec. 9);