On December 22, 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven gave an extraordinary and unusually long public concert in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien. At this single event, he premiered four major works: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”), Piano Concerto No. 4, and Choral Fantasy.
That concert, which lasted nearly 4 hours, is remembered as one of the most ambitious single-evening premieres in classical music history.
Beethoven's portrait painted by Joseph Karl Stieler.
Painting of Theater an der Wien circa 1815.
