Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3 | Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

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Daniel Barenboim conducts the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in a true classic of the concert repertoire: Ludwig van Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3 is played as the prelude to a 2006 concert in the Berliner Philharmonie.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) wrote only one opera. The original version of 1804/05, with the programmatic title Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or the Triumph of Married Love), was rewritten twice by Beethoven before the composer himself premiered it under the name Fidelio in 1814. There are four different overtures to the three versions of the opera, whereby it was the Overture No. 3, Op. 72b, which then began its own career, so to speak. It’s to this day a popular overture for concerts, usually at the beginning of the program.

In itself, Leonore Overture No. 3 is an instrumental, abridged version of the opera Fidelio, the plot and moods of which it anticipates in concise form. Fidelio is a ‘rescue opera’, in which the heroine Leonore slips into the role of the titular jailer, in order to free her beloved husband Florestan from prison. The situation seems hopeless, however, as Florestan's execution is imminent. At the last moment, a trumpet melody announces the redeeming and righteous minister, who will bring about Florestan's liberation. This trumpet melody not only forms the suspenseful climax of the opera Fidelio but is also the point at which the threads of the Leonore Overture converge (08:54) before the orchestra celebrates the triumph of freedom in a heroically serene round of melodies.

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is a very special ensemble: It’s comprised of young Israeli and Arab musicians, and campaigns for a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – founded in 1999 – holds concerts all over the world. Proceeds from this Berlin concert went to the Barenboim-Said Academy, which supports musical education programs.

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