Description
Beethoven composed four overtures for his sole opera Leonore/Fidelio. The so-called Leonore Overture No. 3 is the second in the series and perhaps the most frequently performed of all his overtures. During Beethoven's lifetime, this overture was heard not only in the theatre, but also in concert, thereby establishing, along with the Coriolan and Egmont overtures, the new genre of the concert overture. Recognized as a masterpiece by the mid-19th century, it went on to become, in the words of Beethoven biographer Anton Schindler, the "declared favourite of all orchestras." This study score edition is based on the musical text from the Beethoven Complete Edition and includes a specially prepared foreword.
