King Stephen Music Op.117

[robert newman]

I've recently listened to all of the music of Op.117 of Beethoven and think it's magnificent. Does anyone know what contemporary reactions were to this work, whether Beethoven was present when it was first performed, and whether it was performed more than once during the composer's lifetime ? (0f course I'm aware that some of this material was not new but even so it's extremely fine music).

Thanks

[Luis Mariano]

As far as I know "King Stephen" and "The Ruins of Athens" had a good reception in Viena and Pest but in England they were unsuccesful when they were performed by the London Philharmonic Society. Beethoven used to talk with affection about this two works ("My little operas").

I share your enthusiasm for the incidental music of "King Stephen" ("The Ruins... " also) and I think that both works deserve to be performed more often not just as a curiosity.

Regards
Luis Mariano

[This message has been edited by Luis Mariano (edited 01-26-2006).]

[Hofrat]

Originally posted by robert newman:

I've recently listened to all of the music of Op.117 of Beethoven and think it's magnificent. Does anyone know what contemporary reactions were to this work, whether Beethoven was present when it was first performed, and whether it was performed more than once during the composer's lifetime ? (0f course I'm aware that some of this material was not new but even so it's extremely fine music).

Thanks

Dear Robert;

"Ruins of Athens" and "King Stephen" were written for the opening of the Pest Theater in 1812 and were well received. When the Josephstadt Theater in Vienna was opened in 1822, the director remembered the reception that these works received in Pest and wanted to use them once again. Beethoven expanded upon them and even wrote a new overture, "Consecration of the House" for the occasion.


Hofrat

[Rod]

Originally posted by robert newman:

I've recently listened to all of the music of Op.117 of Beethoven and think it's magnificent. Does anyone know what contemporary reactions were to this work, whether Beethoven was present when it was first performed, and whether it was performed more than once during the composer's lifetime ? (0f course I'm aware that some of this material was not new but even so it's extremely fine music).

Thanks

If you like this you'll love the 'Ruins..' music too which is a little more developed. It is a shame that both are so little known other than the usually bad renditions of the overtures (but I have very good recordings of them by the Hanover Band which you will hear at the mp3 page).


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


[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 01-26-2006).]

[Michael]

The women's chorus "Wo die Unschold Blumen streute" from King Stephen is, I think, one of the finest tunes Beethoven ever wrote. It also turns up in the overture. "The Ruins of Athens" also contains some beautiful melodies and a real crowd rouser in the "Chorus of Dervishes". I've played the last-mentioned to a number of non-classically-minded listeners and the reaction has always been: "Wow! What the hell is that?".
I will never cease to be amazed that such music can be totally neglected while unfinished bits and pieces are tarted up and receiving world "premieres" despite being, usually, about twenty per cent Beethoven.

Michael

[robert newman]

Thanks to everyone for details of the King Stephen music. It's difficult to imagine how this glorious music was performed in pratice - i.e. whether narration occurs between each of the different numbers). I can easily understand it must have presented practical problems for anyone responsible for staging/performing it. But the same can be said of other musical masterpieces (not least incidental music Franz Schubert wrote for 'Rosamunde'). And, again, one can think of 'Egmont'. I have also heard a remarkable piece (little known) by Hector Berlioz, the monodrama 'Lélio', or 'Le Retour à la Vie' (1831), this written at a time when Berlioz was also ecstatic about the works of Beethoven.

This makes me think that for a short time Beethoven (who is often accused as being a poor dramatist in his stage music) was actually pioneering in several of these works such as 'Egmont', 'The Ruins of Athens' and here in 'King Stephen' by use of a narrator who read a text between musical numbers and sometimes to musical accompaniment. That this sort of approach did not become hugely popular is incidental. But I think both Schubert and Berlioz greatly admired such an approach to musical drama despite it not leading to a wider revolution. It seems to me that Beethoven deserves far more credit for attempting such productions than it first seems. (I have not studied such ideas in any detail but it cannot be a coincidence that here in mature/late Beethoven he consciously uses narrative voice in several works).

Robert