Ouvertüre Coriolan, op. 62, is a composition written by Ludwig van Beethoven to Heinrich Joseph von Collin's tragedy in 1807. The structure and themes of the overture follow the play very generally. The main C minor theme represents Coriolan's resolve and war-like tendencies (he is about to invade Rome), and the tender E flat major theme represents the pleadings of his mother to desist. Coriolan eventually gives in to tenderness, but since he cannot turn back having led an army of his former enemies to Rome's gates, he kills himself. A portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820 Ludwig van Beethoven (IPA: ), (baptized December 17, 1770[1] – March 26, 1827) was a German composer. ... Heinrich Joseph von Collin (1771-1811), Austrian dramatist, was born in Vienna, on 26 December 1771. ... In general usage a tragedy is a play, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome. ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... In the compositions of Ludwig van Beethoven, C minor is commonly regarded as a special key. ... Gaius Marcius Coriolanus was a 5th century BC Roman general. ...

Recordings

Two of the most highly regarded recordings are of Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker (1943) and Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1959. Neither of these recordings, however, uses period instruments or follows Beethoven's own metronome markings. For a historically informed performance, turn to Sir Roger Norrington conducting the London Classical Players (in a boxed set along with the 9 symphonies). Wilhelm Furtwängler (January 25, 1886 – November 30, 1954) was a German conductor and composer. ... The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the worlds leading orchestras. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington (born March 16, 1934) is a British conductor best known for performances of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music using period instruments and period style. ...

Other notable recordings include those by Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic,Karl Böhm with the Vienna Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber conducting Bavaria State Orchestra and Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia Symphony. Herbert von Karajan (April 5, 1908 – July 16, 1989) was an Austrian conductor. ... The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the worlds leading orchestras. ... Karl Böhm (August 28, 1894 – August 14, 1981) was a prominent Austrian conductor. ... The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (in German: Wiener Philharmoniker) is the best known orchestra in Austria and one of Europes major ensembles. ... Carlos Kleiber (July 3, 1930 - July 13, 2004) was born Karl Ludwig Kleiber in Berlin, the son of conductor Erich Kleiber. ... Bruno Walter (September 15, 1876 – February 17, 1962) was a German-born conductor and composer. ...

External links

• Album microsite from Deutschegrammophon.com
• Furtwängler conducts Beethoven: Album site from MusicandArts.com
• Coriolan Overture: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.