Excitement for the ninth
I know this may be looked down on by both those who hate classical music and those who are true fans (for different reasons) but I am incredibly excited to go hear a performance of Beethoven's Ninth tomorrow with a full symphony and chorus. I think it is one of the more sublime masterpieces given to man from God (and yes, I believe that) and even though I have heard it many times, seeing it and hearing it live and well-performed is a transcendent experience. I am jazzed about this.
To show my nerdiness I am going to bring the score and follow along at parts, although at the climax you must do nothing but listen and let the power of the performance wash over you like waves at the beach. |
I'm jealous. I run with the Ninth Symphony playing on my iPod frequently but I've never heard it live. Perhaps someday...
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This may sound like a dumb question, but why would an educated classical music fan not like the Symphony Number 9?
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I remember attending the Opening Ceremonies for the Salt Lake Games, and Beethoven's Ninth came on at the end during the finale, with MOTAB singing the chorus and fireworks lighting up the Wasatch front. It was a real Rocky Mountain high.
And then I watched NBC's replay, and Costas says, as Beethoven's Ninth came on, and MOTAB began belting out the chorus, "and of course, Ode to Joy, just like at every other Olympics, it has to be Ode to Joy" or something like that. He said it in a sardonic, sarcastic tone of voice. And of course NBC ended its broadcast right in the middle as well. I felt bitter about that. Enjoy the concert, Creek! |
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Perect example of what I am talking about. Plus, most people only hear the Ode to Joy and not the whole sympohony. Costas is a little twerp, at times. |
Beethoven's #9 is totally played out! We are sick of it.
Sincerely, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Vivaldi, La Primavera |
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And Beethoven gets a little over the top, but so what? It's still superb. Such critics remind me of a review written in a Vienna newspaper in the early 1800's concerning a concert that included premieres of Beethoven's 5th and 6th symphonies, along with a couple of piano concerti, performed and conducted by the composer. The review was quite brief, as I recall, and simply said "Very disappointing." Did Waters or SU have Viennese ancestors? |
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Yes, MTT at Davies. Should be great. That is a rooster I could put up with. |
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What a concert. My hat is off to the SF symphony and the symphony chorus. Our seats were not ideal, being too close to the stage, leaving the sound somewhat unbalanced (we were on the cello/bass side of the orchestra) but it offered certain advantages. We were close enough to hear the bows bite into the strings as they were drawn across the instruments, and to see the music on the stands and to hear the conductor as he puffed his cheeks and exuberantly led the orchestra through what can only be described as an inspired rendition.
There can be no question that I was primed to like the performance, but even accounting for that, I think it would be hard to find much at fault here. The Symphony chorus was superb, absolutely stunning. When they broke into the ode to joy chorus at fortissimo it was a spine tingling moment. Those of you familiar with the last movement may know of the brief pause like interlude where Beethoven echoes the theme first in major, then pauses and again in minor and then to the tonic before the chorus leads out in full voiced excitement. I think there are few more remarkable moments in all of music than those few measures. Absolutely stunning. And, to think he composed this after he had become deaf. IF you have the chance to hear it live, you should do so. |
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I apologize if this sounded like bragging. It was not intended to be. I really enjoyed the concret and the great thing is the prices are pretty affordable for the types of seats we purchased. I was just looking for the advantages. We truly did sacrifice balanced sound, but I choose not to dwell on it. |
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Edit:Oops and I see that YOhio already did this joke and so I look like a hack. Oh well, what's new? |
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True story, related to me by my son's teacher: When my son was in the first grade, the teacher asked the kids to each name their favorite song so she could write them on the board. All the kids were like "Kelly Clarkson" and whatever. And my little one goes, "Beethoven number nine." The teacher was awfully surprised, so much so that she called to tell me. I was so proud. |
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Keith Lockhart is starting off the final year of his contract with a good one and if he and his little band of non-BCS* castoffs can pull it off, it could put them into a great position to not only run the table, but put the good-ol' boy cartel into a position that makes them look like elitist mooncalves. *BCS - Big City Symphony |
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