Symphony No. 9 in D minor: Choral ("Choral") by Ludwig van Beethoven
Title: Symphony No. 9 in D minor: Choral ("Choral")
Author: Ludwig van Beethoven
Op. num.: 125
Year: 1817-1824
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, known as Choral, composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1822 and 1824, is the ninth and last of his nine complete symphonies. It premiered in Vienna on May 7, 1824, at the Theater am Kärntnertor.
The symphony's premiere featured the largest orchestra Beethoven had ever assembled and required the combined efforts of the Kärntnertor orchestra, the Vienna Musical Society (Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde), and a select group of capable amateurs.
Although the performance was officially conducted by Michael Umlauf, the theater's Kapellmeister, Beethoven shared the stage with him.
Although Umlauf instructed the singers and musicians to ignore the almost completely deaf Beethoven, who was incapable of conducting.
Despite all this, the premiere was a great success.
The symphony consists of four movements.
The final movement of the symphony features four vocal soloists and a chorus in the parallel key of modulated D major, commonly known as the "Ode to Joy."
The text was adapted from "An die Freude," a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with additional text written by Beethoven.
Recording Highlights
The finest recordings of the Ninth Symphony:
1951 – Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bayreuther Festspiele Orchester (EMI)
1958 – Ferenc Fricsay, Berliner Philharmoniker (DG)
1976 – Herbert von Karajan, Berliner Philharmoniker (DG)
1979 – Leonard Bernstein, Wiener Philharmoniker (DG)
1980 – Karl Böhm, Wiener Philharmoniker (DG)
1986 – Günter Wand, NDR Symphonieorchester (RCA)