Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 | 200th Anniversary Concert

Listen to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and its final movement, “Ode to Joy,” as it was originally performed. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of this iconic masterpiece, we are broadcasting the jubilee concert live from the historic Stadthalle in Wuppertal, Germany. It will be performed by the Orchester Wiener Akademie under the direction of Martin Haselböck. The soloists are Chen Reiss (soprano), Sara Fulgoni (alto), Michael Schade (tenor), and Florian Boesch (bass).

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is a seminal work in the history of European music and thought. On May 7, 2024, it will be performed for the first time since 1824 with the same instrumentation, seating arrangement, and musical repertoire as Beethoven originally intended.

Program from 7 May 1824/2024:
Ludwig van Beethoven: Die Weihe des Hauses (The Consecration of the House) Overture, Op. 124
Ludwig van Beethoven: Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Die from the Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125

Artists:
Chen Reiss | Soprano
Sara Fulgoni | Alto
Michael Schade | Tenor
Florian Boesch | Bass
WDR Rundfunkchor
Orchester Wiener Akademie
Martin Haselböck | Conductor

Researchers have been able to reconstruct many facts about this concert on 7 May 1824: For example, the positioning of the choir in front of the orchestra, the possible instrumentation or the musical text. It is noteworthy that the reception of the concert focuses mainly on the premiere of Beethoven's last symphony, although a total of three late works by Beethoven were performed that evening.

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the symphony, whose Joy melody is now the anthem of the EU, the complete concert of the premiere will be reproduced for the first time. This promises to be a unique experience, as remarkable new listening perspectives and insights open up through the consecutively programmed works of the Overture op. 124, the Missa solemnis op. 123 and the Ninth Symphony op. 125. In the Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, one of Europe's outstanding 19th century concert halls, an extraordinary concert can thus be experienced. Aesthetically and in terms of content, the reconstructed programme shows a variety of relationships and suggests that Beethoven wanted to appeal to the idea of Eternal Peace with the Academies. 200 years later, this appeal is more topical than ever.

© 2024 WDR

Thumbnail photo: © Lars Langemeier

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