Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 SWR Symphonieorchester & François-Xavier Roth

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Symphony No. 7 Op. 92:
• 1 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Op. 92: I. Poco sostenuto – Vivace 14:53
• 2 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Op. 92: II. Allegretto 07:41
• 3 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Op. 92: III. Presto 09:07
• 4 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 Op. 92: IV. Allegro con brio 08:23
• Total Runtime 40:04

Info for Beethoven: Symphony No. 7

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 was composed at a turning point in his life, between his definitive establishment as a composer and the onset of isolation resulting from his advanced deafness. At the time of its premiere, it was the second-longest symphony ever composed, surpassed in length only by Beethoven’s own Symphony No. 3, the ‘Eroica’. Since its premiere (1813), there has never been a time when it has not been counted amongst the composer’s most popular works.

Since 2025, Francois-Xavier Roth, who previously served as Principal Conductor of the SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg from 2011 to 2016, has been Principal Conductor of the SWR Symphony Orchestra. As a musical visionary and exceptionally versatile conductor, Roth has already recorded and released all of Richard Strauss’s tone-poems, Igor Stravinsky’s ballets, the orchestral works of Ravel and Berlioz, and all the symphonies by Bruckner, Mahler and Schumann.

With this recording, he and the SWR Symphony Orchestra mark the beginning of a collaboration of the highest musical calibre, which is set to continue in a promising manner in the coming years.

SWR Symphony Orchestra
François-Xavier Roth, conductor

François-Xavier Roth
born in Paris in November 1971, is one of the most charismatic and enterprising conductors of his generation. In September 2011 he took on the role of Principal Conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg. He also holds the position of Associate Guest Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and maintains a special relationship with and regularly conducts the London Symphony Orchestra.

His repertoire ranges from music of the seventeenth century to contemporary work and encompasses all genres: symphonic, operatic and chamber. In 2003, he founded the innovative orchestra Les Siècles, which performs contrasting and colourful programmes on modern and period instruments as appropriate, often within the same concert.

Recent and forthcoming highlights include a tour of Japan with SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg and concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony, the Dresden and Bergen Philharmonics, the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. With Les Siècles, Roth has recently appeared at the Cologne Philharmonie, the Klara Festival in Brussels, the Rheingau Festival and at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

Equally committed to the world of opera, his period-instrument performances of Ambroise Thomas’ Mignon (2010) and Offenbach’s Les Brigands (2011) at the Opéra Comique in Paris and Mozart’s Idomeneo (2012) at the Luxembourg Opera were greeted by critical acclaim. Future opera engagements will include a return to Opéra Comique with a new production of Léo Delibes’ Lakmé.

Booklet for Beethoven: Symphony No. 7