As legend tells it, when Beethoven learned that Napoleon had declared himself emperor, he tore the title page of his latest symphony to shreds. The hotheaded composer had originally intended to call it “Bonaparte”, but now he felt that the honoree had absolutely betrayed the ideals of the French Revolution.

We can be grateful that he left the music unchanged, thereby bequeathing an enduring masterpiece to posterity – as this compelling new recording of the “Eroica” shows.

Stefan Blunier complements the popular “Eroica” with König Stephan and Die Weihe des Hauses, two very rarely heard overtures. It is difficult to understand why these two masterpieces are hardly ever performed in the concert hall – especially since they roused the premiere audiences to storms of endless applause when they were presented in conjunction with stage performances.

This is the fourth recording in the series from Stefan Blunier and the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, all of which have been critically acclaimed.