Uploaded November 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Pianist: Evgeny Kissin
Berliner Philharmoniker
RIAS Kammerchor
Cheryl Studer
Kristina Clemenz
Camille Capasso
John Aler
Hiroshi Oshima
Friedrich Molsberger
Date: 1991
The Choral Fantasy was written in just a couple of weeks during early-to-mid December, 1808. It had its first performance at the Akademie (benefit concert) of 22 December 1808, which also saw the premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and the Fourth Piano Concerto as well as a performance of excerpts of the Mass in C major. To conclude this memorable concert program, Beethoven wanted a "brilliant Finale" that would unite in a single piece the different musical elements highlighted in the concert night: piano solo, chorus and orchestra. The Fantasia, Op. 80, written shortly prior, was thus composed expressly to fulfil this role. Beethoven himself played the piano part and the opening solo offers an example of his improvisational style (at the premiere he did, in fact, improvise this section).
The Choral Fantasy, which in most performances lasts about twenty minutes, is divided into two movements:
0:00 I. Adagio
3:18 II. Finale. Allegro -- 9:37 Adagio ma non troppo -- 12:29 Marcia assai vivace -- 14:38 Allegretto ma non troppo quasi andante con moto -- 16:57 Presto
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Pianist: Evgeny Kissin
Berliner Philharmoniker
RIAS Kammerchor
Cheryl Studer
Kristina Clemenz
Camille Capasso
John Aler
Hiroshi Oshima
Friedrich Molsberger
Date: 1991
The Choral Fantasy was written in just a couple of weeks during early-to-mid December, 1808. It had its first performance at the Akademie (benefit concert) of 22 December 1808, which also saw the premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and the Fourth Piano Concerto as well as a performance of excerpts of the Mass in C major. To conclude this memorable concert program, Beethoven wanted a "brilliant Finale" that would unite in a single piece the different musical elements highlighted in the concert night: piano solo, chorus and orchestra. The Fantasia, Op. 80, written shortly prior, was thus composed expressly to fulfil this role. Beethoven himself played the piano part and the opening solo offers an example of his improvisational style (at the premiere he did, in fact, improvise this section).
The Choral Fantasy, which in most performances lasts about twenty minutes, is divided into two movements:
0:00 I. Adagio
3:18 II. Finale. Allegro -- 9:37 Adagio ma non troppo -- 12:29 Marcia assai vivace -- 14:38 Allegretto ma non troppo quasi andante con moto -- 16:57 Presto
