The Glorious 9th April 29, 2006
Posted by CamdenKiwi in : London,Miscellany , add a commentI'm just back from the Barbican, having seen the London Symphony Orchestra with the London Symphony Chorus conducted by Bernard Haitink in a fabulous performance of Beethoven's 9th. From the gentle delicacy of the third movement to the incredible energy as they belt out the last verses of the Ode to Joy in the finale, it was glorious.
Despite Stanley Kubrik's best efforts, Beethoven's 9th is one of my favourite pieces of music. The sheer optimism and vigour of it lifts and energises anyone who hears it, with the moment when the bass voice comes in with 'Freunde' filling the room startling the audience even though we've been waiting in anticipation.
There must have been two hundred people on the stage, with both the orchestra and the choir, which explains why it isn't performed very often. The conductor looked absolutely shattered at the end, almost reluctant to take the fourth bow. This is the second to last night of a concert series which has been running since March, working through Beethoven's entire symphonic repertoire. I'm only sorry that this is the only one I've seen.
The last performance is tomorrow evening.
