Beethoven's 9th Symphony Video

The Ode to Joy theme may possibly be the single most recognized piece of music in the world but very few have heard it for real in it's entirety. Being that this is a forum specifically dedicated to music I would expect more people here to have heard it than the general public, but at my school for example no one knows anything beyond the Ode to Joy unless they've watched A Clockwork Orange and even then they usually don't realize what they're listening to. But in any event it is the single greatest piece of music I have ever heard BY FAR and in my belief the single greatest piece of music that is even possible to exist. . . .kind of like the speed of light for music. That might seem just a bit like hyperbole but absolutely no words said about it can do it justice. It's simultaneously the most beautiful, moving, complex, and exciting thing I have ever heard. If you don't agree; oh well, not everyone's going to have the same tastes; but I think everyone owes it to themself to listen to the real thing as opposed to rendering their judgement off of got milk commercials and elementary school recorder lessons that have become so ubiquitous that it is all too often taken for granted.

PART I: YouTube - Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 9 : Part 1

PART II: YouTube - Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 9 : Part 2

I've listened to this symphony so many times ....

so have a lot of people on this site, I'm sure. You certainly don't need to tell me how amazing Beethoven's Ninth is .

I onnistly can't agree. Yes, I reckon Beethoven's 9th is the symphonic masterpiece as far as the first three movements go but I usually turn it off at the fourth. I find the third movement sublime, a pinnacle for Beethoven and a good example of why students of orchestral composition should study Beethoven. And it's followed by that patchy, noisy opening to the 4th (for which musicologists have made fairly unconvincing excuses), then that drinking song, extremely tiring to sing, hard to play. Maybe as a work in its own right it's better. Karajan does a good job because he had shares in Beethoven Inc. though I prefer his mate Klemperer with this symphony. He was also a shareholder - important to have a name beginning with K.

M

Originally Posted by Verdi_Lver

I've listened to this symphony so many times ....

so have a lot of people on this site, I'm sure. You certainly don't need to tell me how amazing Beethoven's Ninth is .

I did kind of figure this. . . .I intended to post this at a different forum that is not specifically dedicated to music but for whatever reason the site goes completely retarded when I try to sign in. Consequently I don't go there anymore.

to montpellier's post. I'll give Klemperer a listen. I really love the 1st 3 movements but I find that all of the emotion, beauty, and excitement is amplified a thousand fold in the 4th movement. The part with the 4 soloists just before the prestissimo ALWAYS moves me to tears. Anyway the 4th may be somewhat long and schizophrenic and you made it seem like you've heard plenty of excuses for this, so I'll only add that it has a playfulness and creativity that can rarely be found in classical music.

interesting thread this. I think each of Beethoven's symphonies shows how he was struggling with the idea of a finale which answered the questions posed by the first three movements. Sometimes he just gives up and writes something light but I think all his life was directed towards that final movement in the 9th. I can see why it might seem overblown but I dont think it was just the finale to his 9th at all I think it was the finale to everything he ever wrote and in that context its hugeness makes much more sense. for Beethoven I think joy was something worth struggling for and my goodness he does just that.