Ludwig van Beethoven composed his ‘Symphony No. 7 in A major’, Op. 92, between 1811 and 1812, while improving his health in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice. It is a symphony in four movements and at its premiere, in Vienna on 8 December 1813, Beethoven was noted as remarking that it was one of his best works.

The second movement, ‘Allegretto’, was the most popular movement and had to be encored. The instant popularity of this ‘Allegretto’ resulted in its frequent performance separate from ...