Watch & Listen

Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Adagio molto – Allegro con brio
Andante cantabile con motto
Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
Adagio – Allegro molto e vivace

The premiere performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 took place in Vienna on April 2, 1800. It was, effectively, the announcement of his arrival in the most important Viennese musical circles. He was still a young man of 24 at the time of its composition, and it reflects in many ways the traditions that Mozart and Haydn had established and perfected in the Classical era. The dynamic and revolutionary composer that Beethoven would become was just beginning to emerge.