Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) was a German composer, who worked most of his life in Vienna. He is widely regarded as one of the three greatest composers of all time. In my own ranking he usually ends up in the 20-30 range. I like a lot of his works, but there also many famous Beethoven compositions that I do not like at all, including the ninth symphony, Missa Solemnis and the opera Fidelio. In this post I will list twelve works that I do love, listed in chronological order. All depicted CD's are from my own collection.
Piano Concerto No. 3 (1800)
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 is generally thought to have been composed in 1800, although the year of its composition has been questioned by some contemporary musicologists. It was first performed in 1803, with the composer as soloist. It is my personal favourite of the five piano concertos. The version shown above is by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti on a Decca CD.
Septet (1800)
The Septet in E-flat major for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and double bass, Op. 20, was sketched out in 1799, completed, and first performed in 1800 and published in 1802. It is dedicated to the Empress Maria Theresa. After a handful of string quartets, this is my favourite chamber music piece by Beethoven. The version shown above is by the Gaudier Ensemble on a Hyperion CD.
Piano Sonata No. 14 (1801)
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked Quasi una fantasia, Op. 27-2, is better known by its popular name Moonlight Sonata. However, Beethoven did not name it - it goes back to a critic's remark after Beethoven's death. It is my favourite of the 32 sonatas, ad the only one that made this list of twelve. The version shown above is by Daniel Barenboim on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.
Violin Concerto (1806)
The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, is Beethoven's only concerto for the instruments (some want to include the two romances for violin and orchestra, but those are not concertos). After an unsuccessful first performance, the work languished in obscurity, until revived in 1844 by Joseph Joachim. Since then it has become one of the best-known violin concertos. For me personally it is his best concerto, and definitely in the top 10 of the violin concerto genre. The version shown above is by Arthur Grimiaux and the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra under Edo de Waart on a Philips CD.
Piano Concerto No. 4 (1806)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 was first performed in 1808, with the composer as soloist. It is my second favourite of the five piano concertos, ahead of the more famous fifth (I don't care for the first two). The version shown above is by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti on a Decca CD.
Symphony No. 5 (1808)
The Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op. 67, has been a perennial crowd favourite, and is one of the few classical music works that is famous way beyond the group of classical music enthusiasts. The simple motif that starts the work (tatata ta) has become iconic. Personally I love it as well, it is my second favourite Beethoven symphony. The version shown above is by the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD (seventies series).
Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" (1808)
The Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony, is in five movements, rather than the four movements typical of symphonies preceding Beethoven's time. Beethoven wrote a programmatic title at the beginning of each movement (see Wiki for more details). It tends to divide classical music lovers, some put it near the bottom of his nine symphonies, some near the top. For me it is clearly his best symphony, and even his best work altogether. The version shown above is by the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan on a Deutsche Grammophon CD (seventies series).
String Quartet 10 (1809)
String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, is nicknamed the "Harp" quartet. This refers to the pizzicato sections in the first movement, where pairs of members of the quartet alternate notes in an arpeggio, reminiscent of the plucking of a harp. Like many nicknames for Beethoven's works, this was created by the publisher. For me this is the best of the quartets before the "late quartets" (12-16). The version shown above is by the Quartetto Italiano on a Philips CD.
String Quartet No. 13 (1825/1826)
String Quartet No. 13 in Bes major, Op. 130, is one of the six late string quartets composed in his final years, a string of works generally seen as among the best string quartets ever (an opinion I share). In its original form, it ended with a stunning long movement that is now known as the Große Fuge (Grande Fugue, op.133), but his publisher urged him to replace it with something more conventional, which Beethoven did. The version shown above is by the Takacs Quartet on a Decca CD. They include the Grande Fugue as the original final movement, but also offer the simpler final as an alternative. Actually, I agree with Robert Simpson, who argued that Beethoven's intentions are best served by playing the quartet as a seven-movement work, with the Große Fuge followed by the replacement finale - just the way it is arranged on this CD.
String Quartet No. 14 (1826)
String Quartet No. 14 in Cis minor, Op. 131, is one of the six late string quartets composed in his final years, a string of works generally seen as among the best string quartets ever. I love them all, but the 14th has just that little bit extra. The version shown above is by the Quartetto Italiano on a Philips CD (reissued on Decca).
String Quartet No. 15 (1825)
Continuing with the late string quartets, the next in line is String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. The number traditionally assigned to it is based on the order of its publication; it is actually the thirteenth quartet in order of composition (for simplicity I posted it here after the 14th). The version shown above is by the Takacs Quartet on a Decca CD.
String Quartet No. 16 (1826)
String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135, is the last of the string quartets, and actually the last major work he completed. It is the shortest of the late string quartets, but one of the best. The version shown above is by the Quartetto Italiano on a Philips CD (reissued on Decca).
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