An informative and entertaining audio-visual concert at the Philarmonie, Berlin (2005) with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado and hosted by Wulf Konold who analyzes the composer Ludwig van Beethoven's most famous works. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 5:07 I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso 11:54 II. Molto vivace 15:15 III. Adagio molto e cantabile 18:18 IV. Presto - Allegro assai The 'Ode to Joy', which crowns the finale of Beethoven's iconic 'Choral' Symphony, is set to one of the most memorable melodies in the entire symphonic repertoire. 'Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium' ('Joy, beautiful spark of God, Daughter of Elysium') - the opening lines of Friedrich Schiller's (1759-1805) ecstatic poem - seem almost inseparable from Beethoven's jubilant theme. Grand, wonderful and mysterious, the Ninth Symphony has perplexed and delighted its listeners since its premiere in 1824. Described by one critic as 'the most wonderful musical revelation that could be desired, or that is ever likely to be devised', and by another as 'a monstrosity', it continues to overwhelm us today. Beethoven was born in December 1770 in Bonn, and was taught to play the piano by his father. He obtained the patronage of the Elector of Bonn, and, financially supported by him, travelled to Vienna in 1792. Here he studied with Joseph Haydn, improving his counterpoint whilst also establishing a growing reputation as a gifted performer and improviser. He gave his first public recital in the city in March 1795, but his compositional activities soon overtook his identity es a pianist and he quickly established himself as the foremost composer in Europa. lt was in 1817 that he was commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London to write the symphony that would be his last. Between 1822 and the premiere on 7 May 1824, Beethoven honed his masterpiece. The first performance took place at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna, directed by the composer himself alongside the conductor Michael Umlauf. The premiere was a huge success: one contemporary critic recalled that 'the impression it made was indescribable, with 16 roars of enthusiastic appreciation forthe awe-inspiring genius and seemingly inexhaustible inspiration. lt opened up a whole new world to us!' The (probably apocryphal( story goes that Beethoven, now entirely deaf, could not hear the rapturous applause behind him, so the singer Caroline Unger had to turn him around to face the audience. With this symphony he evolves from the mysterious, indefinite opening of the first movement - with its avoidance of a clear tonal centre -through the middle movements, in which a few anticipatory inklings of the 'Ode to Joy' theme appear - to the celebratory finale, in which the full theme emerges in all its splendour. Watch more episodes of the series "Discovering Masterpieces of Classical Music": goo.gl/KBV6cR Subscribe to EuroArts: goo.gl/jrui3M

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