b'Program NotescontinuedLudwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92Composed 1811-12 Beethoven\'s Seventh Symphony is his final statement on the grand style he had been developing since the early 1800s. The performance at which the work was premiered was a benefit concert for Austrian and Bavarian soldiers injured in the recent Battle of Hanau, and was likely the most spectacularly successful of his career. What prompted the buzz, however, was not Symphony No. 7, Op. 92, but rather Op. 91, Wellington\'s Victory, or The Battle of Vitoria. Op. 91 was initially composed for a mechanical instrument called the Panharmonicon, but was performed here in the premiere of the orchestral version. The Panharmonicon was created by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel, whose most significant contribution to music was the development of the first reliable metronome. The entire show was repeated in December 1813, January 1814, and February 1814 due to its immense popularity. To Beethoven\'s displeasure, a critic referred to the seventh symphony as a "companion piece" to Wellington\'s Victory. But the public also enjoyed the "companion piece," and composer Louis Spohr, a violinist in the orchestra for the entire series of performances, notes that the second movement was often encored.Ludwig van Beethoven struggled to find happiness in his life. He was a successful freelance composer, as evidenced by the fact that people frequently mentioned his name and that he received generous financial support. However, he was concerned about his persistent illness, his worsening deafness, and his growing isolation. His journals are filled to the brim with anguish and annoyance.What was lost in life was saved by art. Beethoven, who referred to himself as a tone-poet, held the belief that there is more to music than its beauty; rather, it has moral and sacred dimensions. He stated in his writing that "only art and science can bring humans to the level of the Gods."'