Ludwig van Beethoven's Third Symphony in
E-flat-major,
opus 55, sub-titled the
Eroica Symphony (Heroic Symphony),
has four movements:
- Allegro con brio, running time 14:44
- Marcia funebre, Adagio assai, running time 17:05
- Scherzo, Allegro vivace, running time 5:44
- Finale, Allegro molto, running time 12:20
This
symphony premiered on
April 7, 1805 in
Vienna. It was originally dedicated as
Sinfonia grande, intitolata Bonparte to
Napoleon Bonaparte, although Beethoven retracted that dedication when Napoleon
declared himself emperor. Napoleon never actually heard it played (and perhaps was unaware of its original dedication).
This symphony was written between 1803 and 1804, making it the first symphony after Beethoven went deaf. The most famous passage of Eroica is the Funeral March of the second movement.
Running times are from Deutsche Grammophon's recording of the Berliner Philharmonker, directed by Herbert von Karajan.