Beethoven (1770-0827) composed his overture in 1807, to Coriolan, a drama by Heinrich Joseph von Colin. The composer’s unwavering purposefulness in creating the form of his his music and the pronounced motives used in the work are reminescent of Sympony No. 5 composed in the same year, while his preoccupation with the idea of heroism that constitutes the basic theme of the overture bring to mind the Eroica Symphony. In a major article, Wagner underscored the significance of the composition that represents an important step in the direction of the symphonic poems by Liszt.

            The figure of Coriolanus has come down to us in descriptions by several Roman writers of history and was also an inspiration for Shakespeare. Beethoven is assumed to have come across with it in Plutarch’s Lives. The courage and exceptional abilities of Coriolanus as a military leader and orator were legendary. However, he was not liked because he was arrogant and looked down on common people. He defended Rome from its enemies, yet when he stood for consul, was not elected. And if that humiliation were not enough, he was also banished from Rome. As an act of revenge, Coriolanus than sided up with his enemies and lead them to victory against Rome. The beleaguered town sent envoys to its former military commander, but Coriolanus was relentless: Rome must perish. Only when his mother and wife approach him with pleadings does he relent.  However, this change of mind cost him his life: he was killed for his betrayal by the people he had lead against Rome.

            In his tragedy, Collin focuses on the central character, the plot is of secondary importance. The text is in fact a series of Coriolanus’ monologues of ruminations. There is also a peculiar ending: the hero dies by his own hand tormented by regrets of having lost the battle with himself. There is no redemption, no flourish of trumpets with a message of salvation. Of all the Beethoven scores on the fall of a hero Coriolanus is certainly the most devoid of hope.

Beethoven (1770–1827) composed the Coriolan Overture in 1807, based on a drama by Heinrich Joseph von Collin. The figure of the hero Coriolanus appears is numerous Roman historiographers, and even inspired Shakespeare. Beethoven is thought to have come across the story in the biographies of Plutarch. There were many legends about the courage, exceptional military prowess and oratorical skills of Coriolanus. The people, however, did not like him because he was arrogant and looked down on simple people. He successfully protected Rome from its enemies, yet he was not voted confidence in the consular elections. The offended Coriolanus was even banished from Rome. Revenge followed soon: Coriolan joined forces with his former enemies and led them against Rome. The encircled city sent envoys to its former commander, but Coriolanus was unyielding and declared that Rome must perish. Only when his wife and mother begged him to spare his native city did Coriolanus stand down. However, this cost him his life, for the people of Rome branded him a traitor and killed him.

Collin’s tragedy focuses on a single figure, the main hero, and the narrative is secondary. The text essentially consists of a series of Coriolanus’s self-deprecating monologues. The ending of the story is curious in that Coriolanus takes his own life, sensing that with his momentary lapse he had lost the battle against himself. There is no redemption, no liberating trumpet fanfare. Envisaging the fall of the hero, Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture is one of the composer’s most pessimistic scores.

The first six symphonies of Schubert have many ties to Haydn, Mozart and the young Beethoven, and yet they are in every way characteristically Schubertian works. Schubert, who was 19 when he completed the work in 1816, added the title “Tragic”. This is rather misleading in that the fast main theme of the first movement is evocative of not Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, but rather. the “tempestuous” trend of the early 1770s, the “Sturm und Drang”. The intimate starting melody of Beethovenian beauty in the A-flat-major Andante is contrasted with an almost grotesquely awkward minor theme, which appears twice. Schubert calls the third movement a minuet; however, it is more a scherzo if anything else on account of its tempo and character. Right at the start it surprises the listener by the accentuation converting 3/4 time to 2/4 time. The finale is a sweeping, important movement. Its extensive harmonic scheme and musical fabric clearly betrays the features of nascent Romanticism.