Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica": UMD Symphony Orchestra

Symphony No. 3 was a self-proclaimed favorite of Ludwig van Beethoven’s. The piece was originally composed in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte, but when Napoleon abandoned the ideals of the French Revolution and became emperor in 1804, Beethoven ripped up the title page and renamed it Sinfonia Eroica.

More than a reflection of its historical moment, “Eroica” has become synonymous with Beethoven’s artistic journey. Written in the wake of the composer’s emotional Heiligenstadt Testament—a letter to his brother detailing his growing deafness and its subsequent impact on his mental health—the symphony marked the beginning of Beethoven’s “heroic” style, which is often interpreted as a musical manifestation of his victory over his personal adversity. Many go so far to say that much of Beethoven’s music, starting with the “Eroica,” is representative of not only the composer’s life but even of universal human experience.

Join us as the UMD Symphony performs this revolutionary masterwork from one of history’s most influential composers, alongside works by Carlos Simon and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.