Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No.2 in D Major
Op.36
The Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36, was composed between 1801 and 1802. The work is dedicated to Karl Alois, and Prince Lichnowsky.
The work was premiered in the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 5 April 1803 and was conducted by the composer.
This Symphony was written in conventional 4 movements but without a standard minuet; instead, a scherzo took its place, giving the composition even greater scope and energy:
I Adagio molto, Allegro con brio
II Larghetto
III Scherzo
IV Allegro molto
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and the predominant musical figure in the period between the Classical and Romantic eras.
As a German pianist and composer, he is widely considered the greatest of all time, whose innovative compositions combined vocals and instruments, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto, and quartet. He is the crucial transitional figure connecting the Classical and Romantic ages of Western music. Beethoven’s personal life was marked by a struggle against deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life when he was quite unable to hear.