CORRECTION:
Maybe I should have paid more attention in music lessons!
While Beethoven did make some great fugues, my personal favorite is actually Bach's Little Fugue in G Minor. And while the etymology of "fugue" is close to "flight", I have been informed that it is more closely derived from the Latin fuga, or "to flee."
If you're curious, check out this video of Ton Koopman performing it on an organ.