In 1824 Ludwig van Beethoven composed a symphonic work about eternity. 200 years later, new interesting facts emerge about how he managed it. In the final stretch before the premiere of the 9th Symphony on May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven had a heavy workload. The German composer’s new work was eagerly awaited in Vienna. Beethoven was not only responsible for the score’s rehearsals. At the same time, he made sure to find the right theater, musicians and singers.

“We have to imagine Beethoven as a manager who organized his professional life with a network of collaborators,” says Beate Angelika Krauss, a musicologist in the Beethoven Archive from the Research Department of the Beethoven Museum in Bonn, where the German composer was born in December 1770 .

As a landmark in the history of music and a “symbol of civilization and humanity”, the autograph of the 9th Symphony no. 125 has been part of the Unesco World Heritage since 2001. For the first time in the history of music a composer used a chorus in a Symphony, which delighted the German composer Richard Wagner and disappointed the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The duration of the work, which reached 70 minutes, was also impressive by the standards of the time.

“Ode to Joy” EU anthem since 1985

With the 9th Symphony, and beyond, Beethoven paved the way for many composers. The famous last choral part with “Ode to Joy” in verses by Friedrich von Schiller is considered a symbol for peace and international understanding. It should be noted that the orchestral version of the choral song has been the official anthem of the European Union since 1985. The music of “Ode to Joy” is known all over the world. Even if some people don’t know the composer, they have surely heard the popular tune somewhere. Perhaps this is why Unesco characterizes the 9th Agreement as a contribution to “international cultural dialogue”.

The 9th Symphony was planned by Beethoven for a long time. The first sketches date back to 1815, about ten years before the premiere. Twelve concerts of his last symphony were performed while he was alive. Beethoven, however, created more than one version. “We can say that over a period of 12 years, Beethoven performed a number of versions of the work, which had his approval,” says Beate Angelica Krauss.

The Ninth was commissioned by the “Philharmonic Society” of London. It was therefore only natural that the premiere took place in the British capital. However, a few months before, in February 1824, thirty art lovers wrote to Beethoven to present his new works first in Vienna. We do not know whether the composer himself had a role in this initiative. It is considered certain, however, that the proposal gave Beethoven a welcome pretext for the premiere in Vienna.

The composer suffered from severe hearing loss

It is pretty well known that at the premiere of the work the then 54-year-old composer suffered from severe hearing loss. From a young age he was no longer able to hear high frequencies. “He also suffered from tinnitus and ‘acoustic intake,’ meaning that loud sounds were perceived painfully despite the hearing loss,” says Angelica Krauss. Nevertheless, Beethoven was still on stage and setting the pace. “He was probably well able to hear low frequencies, such as drums and bass,” explains the German expert.

In celebration of the iconic Ninth Symphony, the Beethoven Museum Bonn is presenting the composer’s last completed symphony at the Wuppertal Stadttheater today, on its anniversary, as the world premiere hall in Vienna no longer exists.

The concert features the Vienna Academy Orchestra with period instruments, the West German Radio Choir WDR, as well as prominent soloists under the direction of Martin Hazelbeck. As in the world premiere in 1824, so too today, the choir will not stand as usual behind the orchestra but in front, so that, as the German conductor stated to the press, the communication with the audience will be more direct.

Both the unique Missa Solemnis and the humanist composer’s 9th Symphony address the idea of ​​peace, which is more relevant than ever for the organizers. The concert will be broadcast live by Deutsche Welle on the DW Classical Music YouTube channel.

Editor: Stefanos Georgakopoulos