Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ~ Karajan

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• KARAJAN HERBERT VON / BERLIN P. O. BEETHOVEN: SYMP. N. 9

Music reviews of Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ~ Karajan

Music Review: The BIG one...
Rating: 5 Stars

Any look on the World Wide Web reveals thousands of web pages and articles dedicated to this symphony. Some of them musicological, some political, some economical. All agree that Beethoven's Ninth is in a class by itself as a work of western art, and that few other pieces even come close to its ubiquity and influence.

To any person that researches the origins of this symphony, a recurrent story unfolds: Beethoven came across Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy" early in his musical career. He retained a desire to put it to music throughout his life, but either didn't find the musical means to do so, or simply hadn't developed musically to the point where he thought he could do so, until the early 1820s (the vocal text of the symphony does not completely follow Schiller's poem - perhaps Beethoven had the idea early on but didn't think he had the prestige yet to get away with messing with a well-respected work?). His deafness at this point in his life was, for all practical purposes, total. Following his usual method of composition Beethoven poured over countless versions of the melody that would be the foundation for the symphony. He finally decided on a choral ending (apparently alternate music-only endings also came under consideration, even following the premiere), and the piece premiered in 1824.

Beethoven had done something with this symphony that his critics should have been used to by this point: he messed with and subsequently expanded the symphonic form. Some critics called the piece tasteless, and others abundantly showered it with praise. The work does not follow the typical form of Beethoven's other symphonies. The final few parts have the feel of continuous music, whereas the earlier symphones have clearly defined boundaries throughout (though themes travel across the boundaries of movements). Then the basses dominate, and wipe out themes from the previous movements, culminating in the "Ode to Joy" theme played quietly on just the basses. The orchestra chimes in, little by little providing exceptional harmony, until the theme explodes into the first verses of the choral movement. From this point on the symphony transforms into a choral work. Listeners of 1824 had probably not heard anything like this. The solo vocalist begins the "Ode to Joy" theme, and the choir chimes in until the music enters an amazing slithering creshendo, which explodes into full choir belting out, even more intensely, the "Ode to Joy". But it does not end there. A new theme emerges and takes the symphony to its conclusion. It's an amazing ride, and one worth taking. But what does it all mean? Is it about joy? About universal love of humanity? Politics?

Strangely, this ambiguity has allowed the symphony to be appopriated by the entire political spectrum. The French Revolution used it, Hitler had it played on his birthday in 1938, Stalin called it "the perfect music for the masses" and now the "Ode to Joy" - without the words - is the offical anthem of the European Union - as a symbol of unity and human rights. It was played - with "Joy" changed to "Freedom" when the Berlin Wall came down, and by Tianamen Square protestors in China as a symbol of freedom. Many who wouldn't otherwise know the piece probably first heard it in Kubrick's film adaptation of "Clockwork Orange" where it is put to salicious use. Numerous other examples exist. Ambiguity is at the heart of this work, and may be the reason for its longevity and penetration into culture. It can mean many things, and has, and will likely mean many things in the future.

And of course, thanks to our "Antiques Roadshow" cultural attitude to the past, the Ninth Symphony made the news in 2003 because Beethoven's final working manuscript sold for 2.1 million pounds (or $3.43 million). Why it wasn't put in a museum is beyond me. Now it is economically significant, which validates it in the eyes of the values of the early twenty-first century. After all, the closest one can come to "owning" this piece of music and putting a monetary value on it - whatever that means - is through the physical and final manuscript. Of course no one will ever "own" this piece of music. It weaves too strongly through our culture. Considering the influence and permeation of this work the original manuscript is almost irrelevant (though admittedly of extreme historical value).

This CD is a great recording of the symphony. Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic do it again, and this disc serves as a great resting place for the "Karajan Gold" Beethoven symphonic cycle.

Description of Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 ~ Karajan

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