Beethoven: Choral Fantasy in C Minor, Op. 80

Description

Ludwig van Beethoven composed the Choral Fantasy, Op. 80 for the gigantic concert event that took place at the Theater an der Wien on 22 December 1808. It was given as the closing work, albeit without the piano introduction which the composer improvised at the world premiere. It was only the following year that he wrote the introduction in view of publishing the first printed editions. They were released in London in 1810 and in Leipzig (by Breitkopf & Härtel) in 1811.

The present piano-vocal score was thoroughly revised by Clive Brown in 1993 after the publication of the new edition; it corresponds with the performance material of this Urtext edition.