Name: Ode to Joy: Beethoven’s Ninth
Start: 2024-04-06T19:30:00
Location: Walton Arts Center

Symphony of Northwest Arkansas

On this program, we honor the 200th anniversary of the world premiere of perhaps THE most famous piece of orchestral music ever written: Beethoven’s towering Ninth Symphony – the first symphony ever to feature vocalists and a chorus. It was judged to be the greatest symphony ever when it was composed in 1824 – so great, in fact, that Brahms famously avoided writing his first symphony for decades, scared to death of the comparison with Beethoven’s masterpiece. The sung text is taken from the German poet Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” a paean to what used to be referred to as the “Brotherhood of Man”, but which is now better understood as the vast interconnectedness of the entire human species. Lofty ideas and unforgettable music. The spirit of the work truly is an ‘ode to joy’ and will leave listeners feeling uplifted, connected, and awed by the ability for music to highlight the best aspects of our shared humanity.