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Beethovenfest

DW staff (kjb)September 20, 2007

Beethoven composed his Woodwind Octet in E-flat Major shortly before he left his hometown of Bonn for Vienna.

https://p.dw.com/p/Bhih
Marktplatz in Bonn
The Beethovenfest takes place in Beethoven's home town of BonnImage: B. Frommann
The work -- written for two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons -- was intended for Prince Elector Maximilian Franz's highly skilled court woodwind ensemble.

Ensemble Zefiro performed the Octet in the La Redoute villa near Bonn as part of the 2007 Beethovenfest. The Italy-based group specializes in 18th century woodwind music and plays on original instruments or replicas of period instruments.