Among changes Beethoven made for the 1806 version of Leonore was a new overture known as Leonore Overture No. 3 despite being only the second Leonore overture. It has many similarities with the first overture (Leonore Overture No. 2 (Day 189)), but many people prefer it.
The overtures that Beethoven composed for the 1805 and 1806 productions of Leonore are too long, too loud, and too powerful for the much gentler opening scenes of the opera. But move the orchestra from the pit to the stage, and the overtures alone become real audience pleasers.
#Beethoven250 Day 192
Leonore Overture No. 3 (Opus 72b), 1806
This magnificent performance by students at the Academy of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany, is as joyous to watch as it is to hear.