Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral"
8/21/2020, 4 Tracks, 1:01:09
Featuring
Bomi Lee
Agnieszka Rehlis
Krystian Adam
Tareq Nazmi
Wojciech Rajski
Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis
Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot
Ludwig van Beethoven
Did you know?
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Compositional Technique
Beethoven intended for voices to be included in the Ninth Symphony from its early stages of composition, using excerpts from Schiller's Ode to Joy as the text for the vocal part.
Cultural Impact
The melody from Beethoven's Ode to Joy has taken on a life of its own, serving as the national anthem for Rhodesia, a 1970s pop hit, and the official anthem of the European Union.
Cultural Impact
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been used to mark significant historical events, including the laying of the foundation stone for the Bayreuth Festspielhaus in 1872 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Compositional Technique
The Scherzo of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is nearly 1,000 bars long, making it the longest movement of its type in all of Beethoven's symphonies.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in St. John's Church in Gdańsk in 2015, with Andreas Spreer handling recording, editing, and surround mix, and also producing the album.
Critical Reception
Early critics were divided on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with some calling it a masterwork and others finding it unsettlingly novel and audacious.
Composition History
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 premiered on May 7, 1824, in Vienna, alongside his Consecration of the House Overture and three movements from the Missa Solemnis.
