Sonic Asymmetry

Ludwig van Beethoven: “9th symphony in D minor”

ルートヴィヒ・ヴァン・ベートーヴェン：「第9番交響曲第4番」

TIME COMMITMENT: 93 minutes

This monumentally encyclopedic, spirited yet rigorous celebration almost annihilated the symphonic form.  The overwhelming, universal perfection of this piece was responsible for the desertification of extended orchestral forms in romanticism.  Luckily, it allows much freedom to maestros who indelibly stamp it with their individuality.  Hence two versions below.  First, the immortal Arturo Toscanini with his left-handed tribute to ambidextrous gentleness.  And then Leonard Bernstein, A.D. 1989, recorded it shortly before Bonn, Beethoven’s native city, lost its historical significance.

MUSIC

INFO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Beethoven)

A REFLECTION

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,

God of glory, Lord of love;

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,

Praising Thee their sun above.

Henry van Dyke: “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”