Sometimes you’re just in the mood for something powerful and triumphant, something to lift your spirits and fill you with the best that humanity is capable of.  In those times, you need look no further than the Egmont Overture by L. Beethoven.

Written to accompany a play entitled Egmont, the Overture kicks off the whole affair.  The play itself tells the tale of Lamoral, Court of Egmont, whose execution in 1568 led to the Eighty Years’ War and the independence of the Netherlands.  So, the nationalistic, heroic tone of the Overture is understandable.

As always, Beethoven was able to use orchestration so effectively to convey raw emotion in such a powerful way.  I trust that you’ll find this overture invigorating! As a side note, I have included yet another recording from the Vienna Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein.  The man is a legend in the field of conducting, and though the recording is old the performance itself is of the highest quality.