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Beethoven Ruin of Athens Overture Program Notes

 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Overture to The Ruin of Athens, Op. 113

Beethoven's Overture to The Ruin of Athens, composed in 1811, is a fascinating and somewhat exotic piece within his orchestral repertoire. It was written as part of a larger set of incidental music for a celebratory play, commissioned for a grand opening that had more to do with political spectacle than high drama.

A Play for a Grand Opening: Budapest and the Imperial Family

The overture was composed for August von Kotzebue's allegorical play, Die Ruinen von Athen (The Ruins of Athens). The play, along with another, König Stephan (King Stephen), and Beethoven's accompanying incidental music, was commissioned for the grand opening of the new Royal National Theater in Pest (now part of Budapest), Hungary. The lavish inauguration took place on February 9, 1812, in the presence of Emperor Francis I of Austria and his consort.

Kotzebue's play is a rather simplistic allegorical pageant. It depicts the goddess Minerva awakening after a long sleep to find Athens, her beloved city, in ruins and under Turkish rule. She is then led by Mercury to Pest, where the arts and sciences are flourishing under the benevolent rule of Emperor Francis I, symbolizing the transfer of cultural greatness from ancient Greece to the Habsburg Empire. While the play itself is rarely performed today, Beethoven's music, particularly the Overture and the famous "Turkish March," has found a life of its own.

An Exotic Flourish and Festive Spirit

The Ruin

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    Ruin-of-Athen-op113 (Die Ruinen von Athen)   
    Composed in 1822.
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