The Beethoven Files Podcast

We’ll look at the various components of Beethoven’s reputations and place in history.  

We’ll look at Beethoven’s last great public work, the Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, completed in 1824.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s final three string quartets: No. 13 in B-flat Major, No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, and No. 16 in F Major.

We’ll focus on the first two of Beethoven’s five late string quartets: the String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127, and the String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 132.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas: No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 (1820); No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110 (1822); and No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111 (1822).

We’ll focus on the Missa Solemnis, Op. 123, composed between 1819 and 1823.

We’ll focus on two piano sonatas, No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101, composed in 1816, and No. 29 in B-flat Major, Op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”) completed two years later.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s last two cello sonatas: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1, and Cello Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102, No. 2.  

We’re going to focus on the song cycle “An die ferne Geliebte,” Op. 98, but also take a quick look at two songs from Beethoven’s settings of Scottish songs from Op. 108.

We’ll focus on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93.

We’ll focus on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, completed in 1812.

We’ll focus on the “Serioso” String Quartet, No. 11 in F Minor. Op. 95 (1810-1811), and the “Archduke” Piano Trio, B-flat Major, Op. 97 (1815).

We’ll focus on the overture and a varied selection of movements from Beethoven’s incidental music for Goethe’s Egmont, Op. 84, completed in 1810.  

We’ll focus on piano sonatas No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a, completed in 1810, and No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90, completed in 1814.

We’ll focus on the final version of the opera from 1814.

We’ll look at three of the four overtures Beethoven composed for Fidelio.

We’re going to focus on Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp Major, Op. 78, and Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79, but we’ll also take a quick look at the two piano sonatinas of Op. 49.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74, completed in 1809 and nicknamed the “Harp” quartet.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto, the so-called “Emperor” Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 73.

We’ll look at the two piano trios of Op. 70: No. 1, the famous “Ghost” Trio in D Major, and No. 2, the less famous but still interesting Trio in E-flat Major.

We’ll talk about Beethoven’s great “Pastoral” Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s highly unusual Choral Fantasy, Op. 80, and his Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69.

We’ll talk about Beethoven’s Symphony in C Minor, Op. 67, composed in 1807.

We’ll talk about Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Op. 86.

We’ll look at the Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 (1807), and Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91 (1813).

We’ll look at Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61, from 1806.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60.        

We’ll look at String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, and String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No, 4 in G Major, Op. 58.

We’ll look at the Piano Sonata in F Minor, No. 23, Op. 57, the famous “Appassionata” sonata.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano soloists and orchestra), Op. 56.

We’ll look at Beethoven’s great “Eroica” Symphony, No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55.

We’ll look at the famous Waldstein Sonata in C Major, Op. 53, and the Sonata No. 22 in F Major, Op. 54.

We’ll look at some of Beethoven’s early lieder (art songs) including the collection from Op. 52, the Gellert Lieder of Op. 48, and the song “Adelaide.”

In the two Romances for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 40 in G Major and Op. 50 in F Major, we encounter not the innovative Beethoven, but rather the creator of graceful and attractive works designed to please performer and audience alike.  

We’ll focus on Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata for Violin and Piano, with a little bit of the backstory concerning two well-known violinists of the day—George Augustus Bridgetower and Rodolphe Kreutzer, along with one great 19th century Russian author—Leo Tolstoy.  

We’ll look at Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 37.  

We’ll look at Beethoven’s only oratorio, “Christ on the Mount of Olives.”

We’ll talk about Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36.

We’ll focus on Beethoven’s “Eroica” or “Prometheus” Variations, Op. 35, but also take a quick look at three of the bagatelles from Op. 33.

We’ll look at two piano sonatas from Op. 31: No. 2 in D Minor (“Tempest”) and No. 3 in E-flat Major (“Hunt”).

We’ll focus on the Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 30, No. 1, and the Violin Sonata in C Minor, Op. 30, No. 2.  

We’ll look at Beethoven’s ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus.

We’ll focus on Piano Sonata No. 15 in D Major, Op. 28, and String Quintet in C Major, Op. 29.  

We’ll focus on Op. 27, No. 1 in E-flat Major and No. 2 in C-sharp Minor (“Moonlight”)

We’ll look at Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 23, and No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, the “Spring” Sonata.

We’ll look at Symphony No. 1, Op. 21.

We’ll look at String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, No. 5 in A Major and No. 6 in B-flat Major.

We’ll look at String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, No. 2 in G Major and No. 3 in D Major.

We’ll focus on Beethoven’s Quintet, Op. 16, for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, but also look at selected movements from the Septet, Op. 20, for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, horn and bassoon.