Beethoven's Ninth.

[N2NH]

I can't remember the first time I heard it, but it has been part of the soundtrack of the world that comes back, year after year to haunt what is an otherwise rather hum-drum existence.


Bill Moyers, for his national public TV show this weekend (just posted online), explores the amazing political and cultural influence of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and his “Ode to Joy” around the world, past and present. It was inspired by the new film that I’ve co-produced, directed by Kerry Candaele, Following the Ninth, and the book we wrote, Journeys With Beethoven.

Remarkably, Moyers presents almost the entire seven-minute trailer for the film, which takes you from China (and Tiananmen Square) to Chile (under Pinochet) to England to Japan and elsewhere, with a special guest appearance by Billy Bragg. Before and after the trailer, Bill offers context and some very moving words of wisdom on the meaning of the Ninth, and Beethoven’s hope-despite-struggles, for our “dark” time.

Here, an excellent segment by Bill Moyers on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; it's mystery, it's meanings, it's universal appeal.

Bill Moyers: Beethoven's Ninth (http://www.thenation.com/blog/177182/bill-moyers-explores-amazing-lessons-beethovens-ninth-symphony-our-dark-time)

[W9JEF]

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Beethoven's Ninth is an eternal masterpiece.

I've always been partial to the Fifth. :yes:

http://parsleyspics.blogspot.com/2011/03/beethovens-5th-and-morse-code.html

Which, BTW, is performed on the Voyager record:

http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html

[n2ize]

My orchestra started working on Beethoven's 9th but we had to set it aside for a while because we needed to prepare the rest of our repertoire for upcoming concerts. It is a challenging piece to play. Last year we performed the first movement of Beethoven's 5th at a few of our concerts and we have it down solid, sounded awesome. . We are planning on working on the entire 5th symphony and eventually performing it in its entirety at upcoming concerts. Meantime we have a concert coming up on April 6th wherer we'll be playing Holst, Mahler, Brahms, Bach and my all time favorite, Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite. Plenty of music to keep me busy..

[N2NH]

My orchestra started working on Beethoven's 9th but we had to set it aside for a while because we needed to prepare the rest of our repertoire for upcoming concerts. It is a challenging piece to play. Last year we performed the first movement of Beethoven's 5th at a few of our concerts and we have it down solid, sounded awesome. . We are planning on working on the entire 5th symphony and eventually performing it in its entirety at upcoming concerts. Meantime we have a concert coming up on April 6th wherer we'll be playing Holst, Mahler, Brahms, Bach and my all time favorite, Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite. Plenty of music to keep me busy..

I've seen how intricate the orchestration is. We always hear how amazing something is, this is really amazing. Beethoven composed this while deaf. The only way to know what he was composing was to hear in his imagination what it would sound like. That is genius. The Chorale ending is extremely impressive. I've posted part of the Pastoral from Beethoven's 6th in the What are you listening to? thread.

If your orchestra ever get the 9th down, let me know. I'd do my best to hear it live.

The Ninth Symphony - 4th Movement (Chorale) and what it looks like (not notes).


http://youtu.be/ljGMhDSSGFU

[n2ize]

I've seen how intricate the orchestration is. We always hear how amazing something is, this is really amazing. Beethoven composed this while deaf. The only way to know what he was composing was to hear in his imagination what it would sound like. That is genius. The Chorale ending is extremely impressive. I've posted part of the Pastoral from Beethoven's 6th in the What are you listening to? thread.

If your orchestra ever get the 9th down, let me know. I'd do my best to hear it live.

The Ninth Symphony - 4th Movement (Chorale) and what it looks like (not notes).


http://youtu.be/ljGMhDSSGFU

I think I remember hearing that when his #6 symphony was first performed he conducted the orchestra despite the fact that he was deaf at the time and the performance was so well received that the audience demanded an encore. It is mazing. Music, which is an art of sound yet a man who could barely perceive sound could compose and conduct it to such perfection.

I'll keep you posted as to the progress of our orchestra. Occasionally I post some of our upcoming and past events and recordings on the "art" forum of this Island. If we do the 9th I can't guarantee a full chorus although we do get a pretty good volunteer chorus when we do our traditional Handel Messiah concert. :)

Nice video. And while it doesn't show the notes, as per written on sheet music, it does show the notes in terms of the various instruments, range, note duration, chorus,dynamics, etc. And, at other times it reminds me of a NYC subway map.. :)

[N2NH]

I think I remember hearing that when his #6 symphony was first performed he conducted the orchestra despite the fact that he was deaf at the time and the performance was so well received that the audience demanded an encore. It is mazing. Music, which is an art of sound yet a man who could barely perceive sound could compose and conduct it to such perfection.

I'll keep you posted as to the progress of our orchestra. Occasionally I post some of our upcoming and past events and recordings on the "art" forum of this Island. If we do the 9th I can't guarantee a full chorus although we do get a pretty good volunteer chorus when we do our traditional Handel Messiah concert. :)

Nice video. And while it doesn't show the notes, as per written on sheet music, it does show the notes in terms of the various instruments, range, note duration, chorus,dynamics, etc. And, at other times it reminds me of a NYC subway map.. :)

A full Chorus is rare these days, a good male voice and a good female voice is, I believe, more important in a work like this.

Some purists will not like more modern versions of this work, I happen to like a lot of versions of it. This is the one from the movie "A Clockwork Orange" arranged by Walter/Wendy Carlos and done on a Moog Synthesizer (a feat by itself).

Arranger Carlos with the Moog.
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c8/39/38/c83938afb071a0305f0a9371cf1b1262.jpg


http://youtu.be/HJ4UHkZg6iI

[HUGH]

Now it's time to listen to all of Beethoven's symphonies.

[N2NH]

You never know where Ludwig Van will pop up next:


Beethoven in the Congo
"60 Minutes" tonight with segment that could have come right out of our new book -- unlikely orchestra and chorus formed in the Congo, climaxing with playing of, yes, the "Ode to Joy." The first video is the full segment. Below that is their web-only special on the Ninth.

Beethoven in the Congo (http://journeyswithbeethoven.blogspot.com/2012/04/beethoven-in-congo.html)

[K7SGJ]

You never know where Ludwig Van will pop up next:



Beethoven in the Congo (http://journeyswithbeethoven.blogspot.com/2012/04/beethoven-in-congo.html)

There is a certain........well........symmetry about that. At least, that's where I'd expect him to be.