North Netherlands Orchestra - Brahms, Beethoven & Broken Rondo

With this symphony, Beethoven blew up the classical symphony of Haydn and Mozart in the early years of the 19th century and made the symphony an impressive musical monument.

Beethoven's Third Symphony carries the nickname "Eroica," which means "heroic," indicating that the symphony is a musical expression of heroism. Whether this would involve Napoleon, as was suddenly suggested shortly after Beethoven's death, is still uncertain. More importantly, since 1804 countless people have drawn courage from this symphony to face life's adversities with their heads held high. Prior to Beethoven's musical heroism, we entertain ourselves with Brahms' processing of joyful student songs and for once can hear an instrument solo that is almost never heard alone: the alto oboe, by NNO's own oboist Nadine Bults.