Beethoven (17 December 1770 -- 26 March 1827) Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op.55 "Eroica" (1804) Wiener Philharmoniker Christian Thielemann Wiener Musikverein, 2010 Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Opus 55 (also Italian Sinfonia Eroica, Heroic Symphony) is a structurally rigorous composition which marked the beginning of the creative middle-period of the composer Ludwig van B..