Beethoven's ode to joy often a holiday favorite
By Ruth Bingham
Special to the Advertiser
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Over the years, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 has somehow managed to exceed its formidable reputation as one of the monuments of Western culture.
Ludwig van Beethoven adapted Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy" into a famous symphony.
Performed frequently throughout the world, it has become not only a great piece of music, but a symbol of universal brotherhood — bringing communities together, offering comfort in times of war, introducing peace talks, serving as eulogy, and, as in Honolulu, becoming a Christmas/New Year's tradition — even though Beethoven scheduled his premiere for May.
The Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, directed by Samuel Wong, and the Honolulu Symphony Chorus, directed by Karen Kennedy, will present their annual performance of Beethoven's Ninth Tuesday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.
"This annual pilgrimage to revisit Beethoven's Ninth is very meaningful for me, our musicians, and the entire community," Wong said in a press release. "To sing 'Freude!' (joy) and to re-affirm our bonds with our musical 'ohana and greater, global community is more vital than ever before during these times of conflict and uncertainty."
Local members of the 'ohana will be featured as soloists: soprano Lea Woods Friedman, mezzo-soprano Lorna Sterling Mount, tenor Les Ceballos, and bass-baritone John Mount.
With the Honolulu Symphony and Honolulu Symphony Chorus 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Blaisdell Concert Hall $28-$73 (877) 750-4400, 792-2000
Why the Ninth became such a monumental symbol is easy enough to understand, even on first hearing. Straddling the boundary between Classical and Romantic, it is singably accessible yet stunningly complex, revolutionary yet traditional, straightforward yet philosophical, high culture yet a celebration of shared humanity. In short, the expected, unexpectedly.
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Perhaps most unexpected, and one of the main reasons the piece became famous, was Beethoven's addition of a choral movement to the end of what was supposed to be a symphony.
The addition was hardly a whim: Beethoven thought about turning Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy" into a choral work for almost 30 years and spent almost 10 years composing his Ninth Symphony before combining the two projects. The whole of the Ninth's final movement — long enough to be an entire work by itself — is dedicated to interpreting Schiller's poem. In part because the Ninth Symphony was the last one Beethoven composed, the "Ode to Joy" seemed to cap his life and summarize his philosophy of living.
After an initial outburst of fury — of compositional frustration? — the final movement begins, not with new themes, but by reviewing the openings of previous movements one by one. The string basses interrupt each theme so impatiently, so forcefully, you can almost hear words inside the notes.
"O friends!" the soloist admonishes the arguing instruments, "Don't sound like that! Let us speak in more pleasant, joyful tones!"
Slowly, the famous "Ode to Joy" theme emerges. And here, at last, is the symphony's main point: not revolution or symbolism or even universal brotherhood, but joy. It is a simple but profound message, and the reason the symphony is so often performed during the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
"It is divine joy that binds us all together," Schiller/Beethoven advised, "the joy of friendship and of love, the joy that links all living things and gives us our earthly pleasures. Live joyfully, live like conquering heroes, for you are embraced by a loving father from above. Do you sense His presence and kneel before Him?"
It's a time to bring joy to the world.
