Beethoven's "The Ruin of Athens"

[BrintonA]

I was listening to public radio the other day, and they played the overture to "The Ruin of Athens." It suddendly struck me that I had always heard the "Turkish March" from "The Ruin of Athens" and the "Overture" but never anything else. I started looking online and everywhere I looked where they listed Beethoven's works, they listed Opus 113, "The Ruin of Athens," and then "No. 1 Overture and No. 4 Turkish March."

What happened to the rest of "The Ruin of Athens?"

[Andrea]

I found this info on "The Ruins of Athens" from Kerman and Tyson's "The New Grove Beethoven":

"The Ruins of Athens" consists of 8 parts plus the overture.
1. "Tochter des mächtigen Zeus" (Daughter of the Mighty Zeus), a chorus.
2. "Ohne Verschulden" (Without Blame), a duet.
3. "Du hast in deinem Ärmel Falten" (You have a crease in your sleeve), a chorus of dervishes.
4. "Turkish March".
5. Offstage music.
6. "Schmückt die Altäre" (Decorate the Alter),a march and chorus.
7. "Mit reger Freude" (With fervent Joy), recit and aria.
8. "Heil unserm König, heil!" (Hail to our King, hail!), a chorus.

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I don't know if these other parts were ever recorded or if they were just not so popular as the overture and the Turkish march.

[Rod]

Originally posted by Andrea:
I found this info on "The Ruins of Athens" from Kerman and Tyson's "The New Grove Beethoven":

"The Ruins of Athens" consists of 8 parts plus the overture.
1. "Tochter des mächtigen Zeus" (Daughter of the Mighty Zeus), a chorus.
2. "Ohne Verschulden" (Without Blame), a duet.
3. "Du hast in deinem Ärmel Falten" (You have a crease in your sleeve), a chorus of dervishes.
4. "Turkish March".
5. Offstage music.
6. "Schmückt die Altäre" (Decorate the Alter),a march and chorus.
7. "Mit reger Freude" (With fervent Joy), recit and aria.
8. "Heil unserm König, heil!" (Hail to our King, hail!), a chorus.

**********

I don't know if these other parts were ever recorded or if they were just not so popular as the overture and the Turkish march.

They were because I have a recording of it, some of this stuff were on the 'rare music' page a while ago. Very good music. But the overture is typically played in such a lame manner from my experience (apart from my Hanover Band recording!).



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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Peter]

Originally posted by Andrea:

I don't know if these other parts were ever recorded or if they were just not so popular as the overture and the Turkish march.

It's available on DG complete Beethoven. I do like that overture!

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'Man know thyself'

[BrintonA]

Thanks for the great information everyone! Does anyone know where I could obtain a copy of this "DG Complete Beethoven?"

[Poseidan73]

Originally posted by Peter:
It's available on DG complete Beethoven.

"The Complete Beethoven"... sounds expensive. How many CDs would that consist of?

[Michael]

Originally posted by Poseidan73:
"The Complete Beethoven"... sounds expensive. How many CDs would that consist of?

It consists of 87 discs and it cost me exactly 500 Irish pounds in 1997. That would be roughly €650 or $700, I think, but since we've gone Euro, I have trouble remembering.
It may be available for less now. The Complete Mozart - which ran to 180 CD's - has been reduced to about a quarter of it's original price (which was roughly a thousand pounds sterling). Part of the reason why the cost came down is that cheap cardboard covers have been used for the CD's in place of the jewel boxes.

Michael

[John Rasmussen]

Originally posted by Michael:
... since we've gone Euro, I have trouble remembering.

Michael

The Euro is about equivalent to the dollar, last I heard.

[John Rasmussen]

A long time ago I had an old record of the chorus of dervishes; it's very exciting, with the strings swirling and the chorus reiterating the word "Kaaba" and then shouting "Mahomet!" at the climaxes.

Beethoven himself didn't think The Ruins of Athens was among his best pieces. In one of his letters he cites the Ruins, Nameday, and King Stephen overtures, saying "I by no means number then among my best works (which, however, I can boldly declare of the Symphony in A)."

[spaceray]

Originally posted by John Rasmussen:
The Euro is about equivalent to the dollar, last I heard.

Hmm what dollar would that be,not my Canadian one I venture.