Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 "Choral" (Live)

Featuring

Christina Landshamer
Jennifer Johnson Cano
Werner Güra
Shenyang
Manfred Honeck
Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

The text for the Ninth Symphony's final movement, 'To Joy,' was originally written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 as a drinking song for a Masonic lodge, but Beethoven adapted it, removing most political passages and references to its original purpose.

Composition History

Beethoven considered including voices in a symphony as early as 1818, but only returned to the idea and began composing the fourth movement of the Ninth Symphony in 1823.

Composition History

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was commissioned by the Philharmonic Society in London, though he only completed this one of the two requested symphonies.

Performer Biography

Manfred Honeck, the conductor on this album, has served as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for over a decade, leading them to multiple GRAMMY nominations and a 2018 GRAMMY Award.

Cultural Impact

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been performed on many important occasions, including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 under Leonard Bernstein, and has been seen as a musical manifesto for humanity.

Recording & Production

This recording was made and post-produced in DSD256 on a Pyramix workstation to achieve the highest possible sound quality.

Notable Performances

At the premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on May 7, 1824, the audience gave a stormy success, which the deaf Beethoven could only perceive by seeing them wave white handkerchiefs.