Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 5, commonly known as the ‘Reformation’ Symphony, was written in 1830 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession—a seminal event in the Protestant Reformation. Allusions to the symphony’s title and inspiration can be heard throughout the music itself; the Dresden Amen is cited by the strings in the first movement whilst the finale is based on Martin Luther’s chorale Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. Coupled with this are two of Mendelssohn’s overtures, the Goethe-inspired Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt, and Ruy Blas, commissioned by the Leipzig Theatre as an overture to Victor Hugo’s tragic drama.