Overview

With its premiere in 1805, Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony boldly announces his “New Path,” a path that would lead to a profound transformation of the Classical style he had inherited from Haydn and Mozart, and foreshadow the major innovations and trends of Romanticism.

To Beethoven’s friends the work was immediately embraced as a masterpiece; to his critics it was without any artistic value whatsoever; and to a third group, though they perceived much that was beautiful, it was too long, too difficult to comprehend. The work, however, was soon recognized as a major milestone in music, and in 2016 was named the greatest symphony of all time by BBC Music Magazine, in a survey of 151 conductors working across the world. Come listen anew.