In the early 1790s, Beethoven composed three concert arias. Unlike lieder (songs) with just a singer and piano, concert arias call for an orchestral accompaniment. In their greater length and more complex structures, a concert aria can sometimes resemble a scene from an opera.
#Beethoven250 Day 23
“Prüfung des Küssens” (WoO 89), 1790–92
In this “Kissing Test” for bass and orchestra, a young man does not believe the warnings of his mother that kissing is a sin, but if it is, he is sure that “this sin will endure.”
#Beethoven250 Day 23
“Mit Mädeln sich vertragen” (WoO 90), 1790–92
With a text by Goethe, the bass in this concert aria brags that “Getting on with girls, fighting with men, and owing more money than you have — that’s how to get on in life.”
#Beethoven250 Day 23
“Primo Amore” for Soprano and Orchestra (WoO 92), 1790–92
The soprano sings of “First Love” in this long concert aria that explores the human dramas of love, loss, and sorrow when “my dear one is mine no more.”