This recording presents Ludwig van Beethoven’s most important Overtures composed for his stage works, which were few and far between yet cover a wide variety of styles: the three Overtures for his only opera Leonore which was later known as "Fidelio" followed by the introductory music to the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus and by music for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s play Egmont, which had previously been rather unsuccessful on stage but enjoyed greater popularity once Beethoven set it to music. The last piece is the Overture to Collin’s tragedy "Coriolan", written at a time when the drama was hardly performed anymore, and which therefore became a concert overture. © SWR Classic