Ludwig van Beethoven at 250

Ludwig van Beethoven was born 250 years ago this week, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has performed his works since the very beginning of its history. To celebrate, Van Cliburn is soloist in the Fourth Piano Concerto under Fritz Reiner, and Sir Georg Solti leads the Leonore Overture no. 3, the Prisoners’ Chorus (“O welche Lust”) from Fidelio, and the Eroica Symphony.

Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
Sir Georg Solti conductor
May 1972 (London)

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major Op. 58
Fritz Reiner conductor
Van Cliburn piano
April 1963 (RCA)

Beethoven O welche Lust from Fidelio, Op. 72
Sir Georg Solti conductor
Robert Johnson tenor
Philip Kraus baritone
Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis director
May 1979 (London)

Beethoven Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 (Eroica)
Sir Georg Solti conductor
May 1989 (London)

Ludwig van Beethoven’s life mask from the Rosenthal Archives’s Theodore Thomas collection

From the CSO’s Archives: The First 130 Years—featuring recordings from the CSO’s vast discography, including releases on CSO Resound—is a cultural and community partnership between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Music Station.

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