Ludwig van Beethoven: The Ruins of Athens, op. 113 (1811)

0:00 Overture. Andante con moto - Allegro ma non troppo
5:19 Chorus. Andante poco sostenuto
9:30 Duet. Andante con moto - Poco piu mosso
14:54 Chorus. Allegro ma non troppo (Chorus of the dervishes)
17:27 Turkish March. Vivace
19:15 March and chorus. Assai moderato
25:48 Recitativo. Vivace
27:48 Chorus. Allegretto ma non troppo
30:41 Aria and chorus. Adagio - Allegro con brio
36:24 Chorus. Allegro con fuoco
Score video. Description by John Palmer.
In 1811 Beethoven was commissioned to provide incidental music to August von Kotzebue's Prologue (König Stephan) and Epilogue (Die Ruinen von Athen), which were to be performed at the opening of the new imperial theater in Pest on February 10, 1812. Because the occasion was patriotic, the works are filled with flattery for the current emperor, Franz. Both works were well received at their premieres; the Overture to Die Ruinen von Athen was published in 1823 by Steiner in Vienna, but the complete piece was not printed until 1846.
Die Ruinen von Athen (The Ruins of Athens) tells the story of Minerva, who, after sleeping for 2,000 years, awakens to find the Parthenon destroyed and Athens occupied by the Turks. Culture and reason have disappeared from what was the ancient Greek world, but these human qualities have been preserved in Pest by the enlightened Emperor Franz.
In addition to solo soprano and bass, four-part chorus, and a full orchestra with paired woodwinds and four horns, Beethoven calls for piccolo and percussion -- instruments associated by the Viennese with Turkish Janissary bands. This instrumentation would reappear in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, in the Turkish March variation of the finale.
Beethoven constructed the Overture to Die Ruinen von Athen in an unusual manner: the key relationships follow the sonata-form pattern, but the treatment of the melodic material does not. Marked Andante con moto, a slow introduction begins with a brief gesture, in G minor, stated first by the string basses and then moving through the rest of the orchestra. An arching tune in the strings gives way to the first theme, Allegro ma non troppo, set in G major and played on the oboe. Transitional material modulates to the dominant, where the second theme, more angular than the first, also appears in the oboe. A diminutive development refers to the introduction by briefly touching on the minor mode with melodic material drawn from the transition -- not the first or second theme (this is the main deviation from standard sonata form). After the return to the tonic, we hear neither the first or second themes, but rather a recapitulation built almost entirely on transitional material, which closes the overture in G major. To Beethoven, key relationships -- not an ordered repetition of melodic material -- were the crux of the Classical style.
Aside from the overture, the "Chorus of the Dervishes" and the "Marcia alla Turca" remain the most effective and appealing selections from the incidental score, composed in a popular "Turkish" style.
Bernhard Klee & Berliner Philharmoniker
Deutsche Grammophon

IT's kindda ironic that the turkish march is the most iconic since the Piece is called The ruins of *athens*

[@unoriginal422]

The music was written to act as incidental music to the play itself, which talks about the goddess Athena, seeing her beloved Athens ruined by the Ottoman Turks. The Turkish March is the music when the Janissaries march past the then Turkish occupied city.

[@miskatonic3197]

Turkey and Greece histories are linked in many ways

[@rafexrafexowski4754]

@@unoriginal422 That's the irony. The most popular part is associated with the "villains" of the piece

[@MS-xp4xm]

Studia la storia!!!🤣

[@Stonmann]

My favorite piece by Beethoven and what an underrated one it is.

[@marcraider]

indeed a very underated piece, at least we know is one of the greatest works ever made!!

[@Dylonely42]

Indeed

[@fabiopaolobarbieri2286]

My God, yes. I have more than once told people of an unknown masterpiece by Beethoven, and had an almost disbelieving reaction... until I started playing this. And the saddest thing is that the one well known movement in the suite is the Turkish March, which, while fun, has less content than almost any other part.

[@rayofmoonlight8652]

The Turkish March is really well-known in Latinoamerica lolol

[@kronkepus3671]

Chorus of the dervishes goes hard

[@canman5060]

I can feel the music when I visited Athens.

[@hangyahangyovna5612]

Köszönöm, hogy felraktad ezt a nagyszerű zenét!

[@mattzaske]

so yeah, if you're in the U.S.A. and enjoying this, well welcome to a wonderful piece of music. If you ever had physical education at school, enjoy going to the Gym, or participate in or enjoy watching Gymnastics, then you owe the dude who inspired this music a shout out. Ludwig Van really liked this dude's plays. His name was Kotzebue. This music is inspired by his play of the same title (Athens).. So Kotzebue was a well published author in Germany. and he "scoffed at the pretensions of those Germans who demanded free institutions" So a dude stabbed him. That stabbing was used by the rulers of the time to crack down on freedom. Enter Wilhelm de Welte, he had a stepson Charles Beck. He wrote the stabber's mother a letter of consolation. The authorities found out and kicked Wilhelm out of Prussia. So his stepson Charles goes with, and as he grows up his feelings about freedom bring him to the USA, he's a teacher and he starts the first gymnasium and physical education in America. So when you see some little girl bouncing and flipping in un-human ways, think of this music and work back from gymnasics, mary lou retton, gymnastics, the gym, PE class, the first time things were done in the USA, coming to USA for freedom, Germans, invention of the Gymnasium, rebellion, authoritarian politics, dudes writing plays and hanging with Beethoven. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_von_Kotzebue en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Beck

[@jeantuti2754]

17:27 A ABERTURA DE CHAVES MLK

[@l.philipe7284]

Exato

[@MrBohuslav]

Arleen Augér (soprano), Klaus Hirte (baritone), Franz Crass (bass), RIAS-Kammerchor, Gunther Arndt (chorus master), Berliner Philharmoniker, Bernhard Klee (conductor) Recorded 1970, Jesus Christus-Kirche, Berlin

[@user-ru8vy1uz7c]

Bravo bravo bravo bravo grandiose genial music super wow wow wow

[@mateustiago2942]

❤ BEETHOVEN

[@lightspeed174]

This piece of music shows Beethoven at his best. So underrated, just like his the creatures of prometheus. Two magnificent composition's. When I first heard this many years ago, I instantly fell in love with it. It's funny that composer's today can't compose music as beautiful as this. At least very few can. This modern style of classical music is, to me just awful to listen to. That being said, I want to thank you so much for uploading this outstanding recording.

[@javierguerrerozacarias9293]

17:28 Tenía que ser el chavo del 8.

[@loaezaoficial6294]

Ah huevo yo vine aquí por el chavo del 8 jajaja

[@pedri_esp23]

Fue sin querer queriendo 🤷

[@mirrors1]

Masterpiece. Amazing music.

[@brigidalohanna6821]

Você é demais nunca deixe ou se importe com as pessoas que falarem o contrário

[@mynamemylastname5620]

Hi

[@TerryUniGeezerPeterson]

I love the roo-eens of Athens!

[@los6416]

37:30

[@unoriginal422]

I remember that there were dialogues as well for the play itself. It was probably printed in the score that the uploader used in the video. Edit: 34:42 Probably one of the lowest notes for the bass!

[@unoriginal422]

And I also found the audio for the dialogues as well

[@heavy21metal]

0:12

[@marikomariko3992]

I really don't understand why this magnificent symphony is not as known as the other ones. I don't know about Europe, but in North America it seems KZbin is the only way to get this music as the entire piece. I'm looking in if I can get Naxos recording.

[@DanielFahimi]

It ain't a symphony

[@aerousops1806]

@@DanielFahimi what is it

[@iks.7048]

@@aerousops1806 A piece of Incidental music.

[@marikomariko3992]

@Digonto et al : I got a Naxos CD " Die Ruinen von Athen " with full German narration. They are great pieces of music. I still think this should not be neglected like this.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Based

[@GPark-kx2vk]

Who is the bass soloist? Nice low C!

[@roberthoskins4125]

Franz Crass

[@jakrol]

It really is amazing that King Stephan and The Ruins of Athens were composed at the same time for the same occasion. I personally find King Stephan to be one of Beethoven's worst works, but the Ruins of Athens is really good, minus the final chorus - reminds me of the opening to Der glorreiche Augenblick, which I don't like because of its annoying screechy vocal writing drowning out quite good orchestral writing.

[@MagoLerio]

Dover Edition? 🙂