Program notes
Exactly two hundred years ago, on May 7, 1824, one of the crowning achievements in all of music was heard for the very first time: Beethoven’s Ninth! Epic in scale and character, Beethoven's final symphony is one of the earliest and still best-known examples of the use of human voices in a symphony. The premiere was a roaring success and an incredible triumph for the ailing Beethoven, who was by that time nearly completely deaf, but nonetheless present in the hall to enjoy his creation's success.
What better way to celebrate this monumental anniversary than a great performance of the masterpiece? Well, nine of them! Enjoy this special only-on-medici.tv version of the final movement and its world-famous "Ode to Joy", featuring nine unforgettable performances from ensembles like the Berliner Philharmoniker, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and the Tokyo Béjart Ballet (yes ballet!), alongside legendary conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Laurence Equilbey, Lahav Shani, and more.
All of these performances are available in full in the medici.tv catalogue:
- Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker
- Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (London, 2012)
- Franz Welser-Möst and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
- Claudio Abbado and the Berliner Philharmoniker
- Lahav Shani and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
- Laurence Equilbey and the Insula Orchestra
- Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (Berlin, 2006)
- Otto Klemperer and the New Philharmonia Orchestra
- Tokyo Ballet, Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
