Beethoven's Ode to Joy - Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
[With captions in English and German] It was Beethoven who pioneered the idea of using the symphony as a means of expressing social and cultural concerns, starting with his “Eroica Symphony”, and ending with the Ninth Symphony extolling universal brotherhood.
Revolutionary struggle was rife during Beethoven’s lifetime, which saw the American and French revolutions, as well as those of European holdings in South and Central America. The flurry of global social upheaval was disturbing to some, yet exhilarating to others, and the ensuing chaos was believed to be a necessary precursor to establishing newer, fairer, more egalitarian orders, ushering in an age of world peace and brotherhood.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral” (1824)
I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso 0:00
II. Molto vivace 17:11
III. Adagio molto e cantabile 29:15
IV. Presto 44:34
Presto - "O Freunde" 50:45
Alla marcia - "Froh, wie seine Sonnen" 54:22
"Seid umschlungen, Millionen!" 58:16
Prestissimo - "Seid umschlungen, Millionen!" 1:06:44
Applause: 1:08:22
Perhaps the most commented-upon piece of music in history, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, the "Choral Symphony", is also home to one of the most recognisable musical themes. It all began with German poet Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 poem "An die Freude" ("Ode to Joy"), which moved Beethoven to include it in an 1817 commission for a choral symphony by the Philharmonic Society of London. Beethoven produced some sketches that year, but composition did not begin in earnest till 1822, and the work was only completed in February 1824. By the time of its premiere in Vienna on 7 May 1824, Beethoven was profoundly deaf but insisted on conducting it. A famous anecdote recounts that Caroline Unger, who sang the contralto solo at the premiere, gently turned the oblivious and still-conducting composer around at the end – to face the applause.
While Schiller’s text appears only in the final movement, it generated additional plotlines for the earlier movements. The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, begins with dissonance, tension-building, and swirls of primordial energy. Chaos begins to be put into order sweepingly, but we slip back into disarray a few times — the effort of creation is massive.
The second movement of symphonies is usually a slow one but Beethoven gives us the Scherzo first, perhaps so that a calm third movement would provide a better prelude to the choral finale. The scherzo is distinctly dance-like, with melodies reminiscent of country dances — was Beethoven summoning the spirit of the common man? It ends with a hymn-like melody that foreshadows the joy of the finale.
The Adagio molto e cantabile provides a welcome respite from the intensity of the previous movements. We are led through pastoral landscapes in elaborate variations that draw us to ever greater longing for a brighter future.
The finale recapitulates the sentiments of the preceding movements while never quite making direct quotations: the swirling primordial chaos of the first movement and its sweeping attempts to bring order, the determined onward march of the second, and the bucolic calm of the third. Then, the famous theme appears, first tentatively and fragmented in the lower strings, but this gains courage and is taken up by the strings and then the whole orchestra. In the midst of all this, the baritone electrifyingly calls out for new melodies more pleasing and joyful, giving words to the melody, which dominates the rest of the movement in various variations and combinations of solo voices and chorus, moving inexorably and irresistibly toward the exhilarating conclusion.
The scale and influence of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has led other composers to ascribe a sort of mystical significance to their own ninth symphonies, often making them choral symphonies, and contributing to the superstition called the “Curse of the Ninth”, a belief that the ninth symphony is supposed to be a composer’s last, and that the composer is fated to die before, during, or shortly after completing it.
Beethoven, who lived another three years, and who had a sense of humour despite his stern image, would have marvelled at how his work has continued to have a life of its own 200 years after its 1824 premiere, and how it continues to spur hope in our troubled times. (Edward C. Yong)
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Youth Choir
SBC Vox
Hans Graf, Quantedge Music Director
Eudenice Palaruan, Choral Director
Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster
Johanna Falkinger, soprano
Anita Monserrat, mezzo-soprano
Seungwoo Yang, tenor
Liam James Karai, bass
Recorded live at the Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore, on 26 July 2024.
Video & Audio: msm-productions (Singapore)
Cover Photo: Chris P. Lim
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