C: BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van: Symphony #9 in D Minor, Op. 125

 C. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827)

Symphony #9 in D Minor, Op. 125 (1822-24)
1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
2. Molto vivace
3. Adagio molto e cantabile
4. Finale
Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Riccardo Muti, cond.
(1:21:22)

Kids, back in the old days there were only three television stations -- four, if you included PBS.

If you wanted to know what was happening in the world, you didn't turn on CNN or thumbscroll down the Twitter line at any time of day -- you turned on CBS to watch Walter Cronkite or NBC to watch The Huntley-Brinkley Report at exactly the same time every night.

You got 30 minutes of news, and then:

"Good night, Chet. Good night, David. And good night, for NBC News."

Then came the thundering sound of the 1952 Toscanini recording of the second movement of this -- the greatest symphony ever written -- as the credits rolled.

My hometown Pittsburgh Symphony had a tradition of bringing along the Mendelssohn Choir and ending each season with this mighty, mammoth work.

And it is gargantuan, sprawling, intriguing, mysterious, spectacular, achingly beautiful and profound.

Wikipedia.

The vocal soloists and chorus wait patiently for 45 minutes, as they have no part in the first three movements.

The last movement begins with a mighty roar, before settling down to the famous theme:

After the initial statement, he introduces counterpoint in the bassoon, followed by a rich, full harmonic treatment, before returning to the stormy roaring of the opening.

Suddenly, it stops and the baritone soloist sings out:

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.

Oh friends, not these sounds!
Let us instead strike up more pleasing
and more joyful ones!

Following much working out, comes this section:

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt
Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.

Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss is for the whole world!
Brothers, above the canopy of stars
must dwell a loving father.

**

It doesn't get any better than that.