Op 62 beethoven biography

Beethoven wrote a gaggle of overtures, some were admittedly potboilers (his heart really wasn’t into them, but his financial needs were), but most were what we expect of the man.  The four overtures associated with his opera, Fidelio, stand in the forefront of them, but the Coriolan Overture is a major work, as well.  It was composed in 1807 as incidental music for a performance of the now obscure 1804 play by the same name by Heinrich Joseph von Collin—not for Shakespeare’s similarly titled work.

It’s a stormy composition, and perfect for a drama rife with tragedy and personal remorse.  In short, Gaius Marcius Coriolan was a 5th century Roman general who had led successful campaigns against Rome’s enemies.

Like so many foolish generals he developed political aspirations, but was unsuccessful, and thrown out. In revenge, he turned traitor and led an army of his former enemies to attack Rome. His mother entreated him to desist, but