Beethoven, Ludwig van - Die Ruinen von Athen - Segerstam, Leif

Die Ruinen von Athen ('The Ruins of Athens') was composed to celebrate the opening of the new German theater in Pest in 1812. It was conceived as an accompaniment to August von Kotzebue's play of the same name, and its spectacular music is rich enough to form a kind of one-act opera. It is full of charming arias, duets, and choruses and includes the famous Turkish March. Although the theme of the work has its roots in Greek mythology, it was in fact openly political in nature and celebrated Pest as the 'new Athens'. This is the first recording of the work with the complete narrative.