In 1788 Goethe published his stage work Egmont. The story was based on the adventures of the count of the same name, who was more concerned with the liberation of the Low Countries than his own life. A generous hero! The kind of hero that Beethoven also had a thing for, as evidenced by his Eroica symphony and his opera Fidelio. Beethoven therefore composed incidental music for nine musical interludes.
The whole is preceded by the well-known Overture Egmont, which depicts the entire drama in a nutshell. This overture has a gloomy character, but ends with a surprising triumph: a reference to the last movement of incidental music, the Symphony of Sieges. The incidental music for Egmont is played by the Gürzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker conducted by James Conlon. This CD also contains the beautiful Tripelkonzert op. 56, with members of the Trio Wanderer performing as soloists. (HJ) _more
