Adversity, heroism and triumph – Simone Young conducts Beethoven’s Eroica. The years 1802-1805 were some of the most creative yet despairing of Beethoven’s life. Brett Dean’s Testament was inspired by Beethoven’s famous ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’ of 1802, in which Beethoven writes agonisingly about his encroaching deafness. With his Eroica Symphony of 1805, Beethoven announced his triumphant resolve to overcome adversity – a revolutionary work unprecedented in its length, rhythmic power and heroic spirit.