Choral Fantasia in C minor, op. 80

When Beethoven first combined a piano concerto and a cantata to create a new and unique work in his Choral Fantasy op. 80 in 1808, the crowning finale was a melody that is reminiscent to the “Ode to Joy” from the finale of his Ninth Symphony. The structure of the Fantasy is also considered a precursor to his Ninth Symphony. Relatively spontaneously, Beethoven decided to compose a “splendid final piece” for the extraordinary Academy Concert on 22 December 1808 at the Theater an der Wien, alongside his Fourth Piano Concerto, the scene and aria “Ah, perfido!” and parts from the C major Mass, as well as the premiere of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, which would unite all those involved. Beethoven drew on his song “Gegenliebe” (WoO 118), written back in 1794/95, “sketched the variations and the chorus, and the poet Kuffner then had to quickly write the words for it,” as Carl Czerny reported. However, the choral fantasy was not yet completed, so that Beethoven had to improvise the piano part at the beginning of the performance. The complete autograph is lost, only the short score of the choral parts has survived. Beethoven composed the solo piano part only for the editions published by Breitkopf & Härtel in London in 1810 and in Leipzig in 1811.. The Choral Fantasy op. 80 is thus a fascinating testimony to Beethoven's art of improvisation at the piano. The edition uses the engraving of the New Beethoven Complete Edition, the corresponding volume was edited by Armin Raab. As an alternative, Breitkopf & Härtel offers an edition by Clive Brown, which has a more compact layout and is particularly oriented towards historical performance practice.