Egmont

In 1809, Beethoven accepted a commission from the Burgtheater in Vienna to compose incidental music for Goethe’s Egmont—a play that charts the brave attempts of the 16th-century Flemish nobleman Count Egmont to resist the Spanish occupation of the Netherlands. This subject matter held a particularly strong appeal for the composer, who vehemently opposed all forms of political oppression. Beethoven’s incidental music consists of 10 numbers, including two vocal pieces sung by the play’s heroine, Klärchen, a melodrama, and four orchestral entr’actes. But by far his best-known contribution is the Overture. It’s a powerful orchestral work that conveys the essence of the drama with exceptionally vivid music. The slow introduction’s fierce, darkly scored chords, followed by lamenting intervals in the woodwind and strings, establish a mood of foreboding and oppression, which is intensified in the ensuing faster section portraying Egmont’s rebellious and determined character. After the hero dies for the cause, a passage movingly depicted with a dramatic moment of silence, Beethoven celebrates Egmont’s self-sacrifice with a rousingly upbeat and optimistic coda recalling the heroic style he employed in the finale of his Fifth Symphony.