The 9th
So, I can't remember quite how I came to this, except that I wanted to hear the Ode to Joy. This is the first time I've seen it represented in English among the singing. I'm sure it's been done before, but I didn't ever think to look up what the words meant.
They are right to make much of the fact that Beethoven shared this without ever having heard it. I notice how the chorus sits there, silent, for an hour. The orchestra is spent, worked through all their paces. It is a majestic symphony well before any of them stand up to sing. And then a man stands up and says above the orchestra: 'No, not these sounds -- something better, and more joyous.'
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4 comments:
Also note that the choral/soloist/symphony parts move toward, then through "dance" rhythms--and at the very end, a controlled 'frenzy' as the orchestra closes it out.
"choral fantasy in Cm" is a piece you might enjoy- in some ways it is reminiscent of the fourth movement of the 9th.
Trust me, the last bit is enough of a workout to make sitting for almost an hour feel like not enough rest. You have to be loud but controlled - it's far too easy to scream on pitch.
LittleRed1
Another thing that strikes me is the use of color in the chorus. This is a white-tie event for the orchestra. Mostly the chorus is in black, but the women in red herald the coming break -- a break that does not come, for an hour.
It's well staged, which adds to the glory of the symphony.
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