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Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven: O welche Lust (Fidelio) 'Prisoner's Chorus'
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Beethoven: O welche Lust (Fidelio) 'Prisoner's Chorus'

Breathe the free air

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op 15
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op 15

A piano virtuoso's calling card

Composer of the Week - Ludwig van Beethoven: Why Beethoven?
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Composer of the Week - Ludwig van Beethoven: Why Beethoven?

Donald Macleod, Marin Alsop and Simon Schama discuss why Beethoven still matters today

Beethoven: Quintet in C major, Op 29
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Beethoven: Quintet in C major, Op 29

Smooth and mellow? Violas and cello

Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op 7
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Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op 7

A piece that looks both forward and back in different styles

The Listening Service - Beethoven Unleashed: Getting to grips with Beethoven
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The Listening Service - Beethoven Unleashed: Getting to grips with Beethoven

Tom Service goes in search of the essence of what makes Beethoven Beethoven

Beethoven: 7 Bagatelles, Op 33
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Beethoven: 7 Bagatelles, Op 33

Melodies that could have come from a modern pop song

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op 37
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op 37

A demonstration of the piano's potential

Discovering Music - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
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Discovering Music - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3

Stephen Johnson explores Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3

Beethoven: Adelaide, Op 46
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Beethoven: Adelaide, Op 46

A song of stellar romance

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op 58
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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op 58

Listen for the bird-like fluttering of the piano

Discovering Music - Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4
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Discovering Music - Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4

Stephen Johnson explores Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4.

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61
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Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op 61

A celebrated work full of big tunes

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G major, Op 96
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Beethoven: Violin Sonata in G major, Op 96

A duet of love while cannons boom

Composer of the Week - Beethoven Unleashed: At Home
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Composer of the Week - Beethoven Unleashed: At Home

Donald Macleod uncovers some of Beethoven’s personal possessions at his home in Bonn

Beethoven: Egmont Overture
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Beethoven: Egmont Overture

An epic tale of imprisonment, sentencing and (spoiler alert!) execution

Beethoven: Quartet in E flat major, Op 74, Harp
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Beethoven: Quartet in E flat major, Op 74, Harp

Harp fans beware... this piece contains no harps

Record Review Podcast - Beethoven's 'Harp' Quartet
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Record Review Podcast - Beethoven's 'Harp' Quartet

Harriet Smith with recommendations from available recordings of Beethoven's so-called 'Harp' Quartet

Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op 18 No. 6
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Beethoven: Quartet in B flat major, Op 18 No. 6

Fragile with a strong finish

Beethoven: Quartet in C major, Op 59 No. 3, 'Rasumovsky'
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Beethoven: Quartet in C major, Op 59 No. 3, 'Rasumovsky'

Try to keep up when the energy kicks in

Discovering Music - Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 'Razumovsky'
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Discovering Music - Beethoven: String Quartet No. 9 'Razumovsky'

Stephen Johnson explores the musical language of Beethoven's third Razumovsky Quartet

Beethoven: Quintet in E flat major, Op 16
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Beethoven: Quintet in E flat major, Op 16

A graceful and elegant work with bouncy, dance rhythms

Beethoven: Rondo a capriccio in G major, Op 129, 'Rage over a lost penny'
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Beethoven: Rondo a capriccio in G major, Op 129, 'Rage over a lost penny'

Here comes a classical earworm!

Composer of the Week - Beethoven and the Voice
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Composer of the Week - Beethoven and the Voice

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven’s vocal music with Iain Burnside and Simone Young

Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op 27 No. 2, 'Moonlight'
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Beethoven: Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op 27 No. 2, 'Moonlight'

Envelop yourself in a mysterious dreamlike fog

Beethoven: Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op 31 No. 2, 'Tempest'
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Beethoven: Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op 31 No. 2, 'Tempest'

Music inspired by Shakespeare's island tale

The Listening Service - Beethoven: Hero or Villain?
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The Listening Service - Beethoven: Hero or Villain?

Tom Service asks if posterity's casting of Beethoven as a hero is problematic

Beethoven - Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op 21
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Beethoven - Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op 21

Listen for the final movement which is full of joyous energy

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op 67
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op 67

This is it, the big one - DA DA DA DUUUUUUN!

Discovering Music - Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
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Discovering Music - Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Stephen Johnson explores Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op 68, 'Pastoral'
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op 68, 'Pastoral'

A countryside dream, heard in Disney's Fantasia

Beethoven: Trio in D major, Op 70 No. 1, 'Ghost'
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Beethoven: Trio in D major, Op 70 No. 1, 'Ghost'

Rumbling piano creates spooky sounds

Composer of the Week - Ludwig van Beethoven
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Composer of the Week - Ludwig van Beethoven

Donald Macleod introduces the life and music of Beethoven from 1806 to 1812

Beethoven: Trio in G major, Op 1 No. 2
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Beethoven: Trio in G major, Op 1 No. 2

Music for practising your gentle prancing

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A major, Op 47, 'Kreutzer'
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Beethoven: Violin Sonata in A major, Op 47, 'Kreutzer'

Pounding piano and dancing violin

Composer of the Week - Beethoven
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Composer of the Week - Beethoven

Donald Macleod explores Beethoven the pianist and composer for the piano

Beethoven: Horn Sonata in F major, Op 17
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Beethoven: Horn Sonata in F major, Op 17

"Who is this Beethoven?"

Beethoven: Violin Sonata in F major, Op 24, 'Spring'
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Beethoven: Violin Sonata in F major, Op 24, 'Spring'

Positive spirit and youthful energy are in season

Tales from the Stave - Beethoven's Spring Sonata
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Tales from the Stave - Beethoven's Spring Sonata

Frances Fyfield examines the score of Beethoven's beautiful sonata for violin and piano

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A major, Op 69
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata in A major, Op 69

The piano pushes the tempo

Beethoven: Cello Sonata in F major, Op 5 No. 1
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Beethoven: Cello Sonata in F major, Op 5 No. 1

So good, it earned a gold snuff box from the king

Beethoven: Quartet in A minor, Op 132
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Beethoven: Quartet in A minor, Op 132

A slow movement springs to life

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op 55, 'Eroica'
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op 55, 'Eroica'

A turning point in classical music

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op 60
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op 60

A sombre start leads to a relentlessly pulsating finish