Beethoven composed his symphony #2 during the summer and fall of 1802 and conducted the first performance on April 5, 1803, in Vienna. The score calls for pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets, with timpani and strings. Beethoven was 32 at the time.
There are actually two masters here: the first, of course, is the composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. The second is the late conductor, Frans Brueggen, who recreates this music for us all:
