Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 | Jordi Savall with Le Concert des Nations

[maestrob]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwDo7MdaxhA

763,387 views Jan 1, 2022 #OdetoJoy #Beethoven #JordiSavall
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
With the final chorus based on Friedrich Schiller’s poem ‘An die Freude’

(00:00) I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
(15:15) II. Molto vivace
(30:55) III. Adagio molto e cantabile
(42:48) IV. Presto

Le Concert des Nations
Jordi Savall - conductor

VOX BONA Chamber choir of Kreuzkirche Bonn
Karin Freist-Wissing - production

Sara Gouzy - soprano
Laila Salome Fischer - mezzo-soprano
Martin Platz - tenor
Manuel Walser - baritone

Opening concert of the Beethovenfest Bonn 2021, from the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB), August 20, 2021

It’s an acoustic sensation: Beethoven's Ninth played on period instruments, and played to a score which has been revised to reflect the latest scholarly findings. In this spectacular opening concert of the 2021 Beethovenfest in Bonn, Germany, Jordi Savall and his musicians succeed in creating an extraordinary interpretation of the universally recognizable work. The Le Concert des Nations orchestra – renowned for its historical performance practice – strips Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 of any monumentality, instead infusing the well-known Beethoven symphony with a transparency and a lightness which render it a delicate gem. Even the final movement – with its otherwise deeply laden material – is woven through by the vocal soloists and the VOX BONA Chamber Choir of the Kreuzkirche Bonn to reveal the old masterpiece anew; resplendent in fresh musical garb.

That Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 can suddenly appear so distinctly different and – indeed! – new in this concert is due not least to the revised musical score. The musicians are playing the scholarly complete edition, published in 2020 by Beate Angelika Kraus. This is the German premiere of this version of Beethoven's Ninth.

[Belle]

Absolutely fabulous and thanks for posting!! I always love the three movements of this symphony - especially the third - and usually stop there. The choral section doesn't appeal to me.

The opening chords of this work on period instruments; sit up and take notice, people!!! Perfection.

[Rach3]

Many thanks. I heard only the Scherzo. Impressive also the commitment,enthusiasm of the orchestra ; and the French horns !

[Rach3]

Many thanks. I heard only the Scherzo. Impressive also the commitment,enthusiasm of the orchestra ; and the French horns !

Also decided to hear the first movement as well. The first two movements are sufficiently " monumental"; the DW "strips" , "delicate gem" comments are nonsense.

[Modernistfan]

Here we go again! The translation of that phrase: "strips Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 of any monumentality, instead infusing the well-known Beethoven symphony with a transparency and a lightness which render it a delicate gem" is "Here is another wimpy, underpowered, excessively tame Beethoven Ninth on period instruments." Not for me, thanks!

[Belle]

Your interpretation of the refulgent euphemisms was funny!! I actually think the work has power on period instruments - look at the size of the orchestra!! How could it NOT have power with those forces arrayed against 'wimpy-ness'!!??

You couldn't diminish Beethoven #9 if you tried. It has its own built-in grunt and heft; but more is often less. For me the real power is in that transcendent third movement and I agree there with the comment that there is clarity with period instruments. The days of grandiloquent Klemperer in Beethoven - moving at the pace of heavy sludge in a landslide - did the symphony a great disservice. That, coupled with masses of choral singers - rendered it altogether too pompous and lugubrious for me. I feel the huge symphonic forces sometimes deployed for Beethoven are what morphs it into a Mahlerian sound world. In the case of Klemperer I'm going to borrow two words from John McWhorter; dense and grandiloquent.

But, there you go. Horses for courses, as they say.

[Belle]

I'm listening again to this stunning performance this morning while watching all the 'heavies' arrive at Sydney airport on aircraft live streaming!! The morning weather is beautiful in Sydney today.

Heresy alert: Symphony #9 would be my favourite if Beethoven had put the third movement second and the second movement as the finale in a 3 movement work - getting rid of the last movement altogether, which I've never liked. The 3rd movement is utterly sublime and absolutely makes this work exceptional. I'd die in a ditch for it!!

I've never liked huge choirs with symphonies. In fact, I generally dislike huge choirs with large orchestral forces altogether. This makes for a rather opaque sound world. I go for translucence and detail, but I know others think differently.

[barney]

Here we go again! The translation of that phrase: "strips Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 of any monumentality, instead infusing the well-known Beethoven symphony with a transparency and a lightness which render it a delicate gem" is "Here is another wimpy, underpowered, excessively tame Beethoven Ninth on period instruments." Not for me, thanks!

Vigorously put! I haven't listened yet, but I suspect I might sympathise with you.

[diegobueno]

In general I enjoy Jordi Savali’s period instrument performances. They have heft and power, and are definitely not trying to make “delicate gems”. There’s an excellent video on YouTube of Haydn’s Seven Last Words (orchestral version) which I always try to watch on Good Friday if I can. I have sampled passages of this Beethoven’s 9th and find it pretty good. Usually period instrument performances of Beethoven are really really fast, because they’re trying to play Beethoven’s unrealistic metronome markings. Most of the Savali’s tempi are the standard tempi one would expect in any performance of this symphony. The slow movement is a little bit faster than normal, but it still doesn’t sound rushed. The military band episode in the finale is a bit faster, as is the ensuing fugue. The choral fugue in the finale is quite a bit slower than normal, though I’ve heard modern performances do the same.

The opening is too matter of fact. The conventional practice is to make it as vague and mysterious as possible. The conductor has to let the strings guess where the downbeat is so it just emerges out of the ether. Once the D minor has arrived, this performance is strong. Even the notorious first inversion chord which signals the recap, the passage Susan McClary infamously likened to a “rapists’ rage”, evokes, if not the threat of physical violence, a sense of terror and pity.

That is one of several things I consider essential for a successful performance of the 9th. Another is in the extensive passagework for the clarinets and bassoons in the slow movement. I have to marvel at how players of the period wind instruments are able to coax so much refinement and beauty out of their primitive horns. So different from the period instrument sounds on recordings from 40 years ago.

The opening of the finale is way too polite.

The one passage I consider crucial for any Beethoven’s 9th performance is the a cappella quartet passage just before the coda. If the singers don’t really nail it, it just sounds like caterwauling and I’ve heard some really dreadful examples of this (for instance Bernstein and the Wiener Phil.). If they do it right, it’s transcendent. In this performance they really do it right.

[Belle]

Bravo. However, I didn't listen to the final movement for the reasons previously stated. The opening chords must be mysterious but simultaneously heralding an awakening, an ominous cautioning. That isn't easy to achieve. Emerging, as if out of the mist, then.....POW. Your comment about the 3rd movement I completely agree with as that movement contains the symphony's finest utterances.

Your comments about the playing of the natural horns in that orchestra; apposite. Sometimes they do go out of tune and I smile to myself; "Beethoven, you absolute champion"!!

Savall has also recorded Beethoven's 7th: so different from the Kleiber from Amsterdam which I really love too. The quick decay of the opening chords in the strings....love it. There is drama in spades here and tension is built to an impossible level very early into the work. You can almost hear Beethoven throwing down the symphonic gauntlet in the profound second movement! Take note of the audience reaction here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZXW4kUMde0

I like to imagine that Beethoven might have heard these works this way - if he could hear, that is. And what I've also wondered about is the level of musicianship in his day.

Savall has also performed the Beethoven #6 at the same venue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn5KPiFWiOo

[stickles]

Anyone interested in a period style influenced Beethoven 9 should check out this years Berlin Radio New Years concert under Canellakis. My first experience of this conductor was the Beethoven 5 with Melbourne Symphony on Youtube pre pandemic. Completely out of ignorance and curiosity I clicked on a video which looked as if Emma Watson was trying to conduct an orchestrain a film production. Boy was I flabbergasted by what I heard: music that had a living pulse! Her 9 also carries that same trait. Her attention to the little details is evident right from the opening two bars. Beethoven wrote 2 separate beats per bar, each beat is in turn divided into 6s. Unlike what we usually hear this as a tremelo effect, she clearly wanted each (heart)beat to be heard. Immediately the music took on a humanistic outlook rather than a comsic one. I have a file saved of this performance. I can upload it somewhere if anyone is interested.

[Rach3]

Anyone interested in a period style influenced Beethoven 9 should check out this years Berlin Radio New Years concert under Canellakis. My first experience of this conductor was the Beethoven 5 with Melbourne Symphony on Youtube pre pandemic. Completely out of ignorance and curiosity I clicked on a video which looked as if Emma Watson was trying to conduct an orchestrain a film production. Boy was I flabbergasted by what I heard: music that had a living pulse! Her 9 also carries that same trait. Her attention to the little details is evident right from the opening two bars. Beethoven wrote 2 separate beats per bar, each beat is in turn divided into 6s. Unlike what we usually hear this as a tremelo effect, she clearly wanted each (heart)beat to be heard. Immediately the music took on a humanistic outlook rather than a comsic one. I have a file saved of this performance. I can upload it somewhere if anyone is interested.

Interesting,thanks. As you noted:

https://www.free-scores.com/download-sh ... p?pdf=1220

[Rach3]

Anyone interested in a period style influenced Beethoven 9 should check out this years Berlin Radio New Years concert under Canellakis. My first experience of this conductor was the Beethoven 5 with Melbourne Symphony on Youtube pre pandemic. Completely out of ignorance and curiosity I clicked on a video which looked as if Emma Watson was trying to conduct an orchestrain a film production. Boy was I flabbergasted by what I heard: music that had a living pulse! Her 9 also carries that same trait. Her attention to the little details is evident right from the opening two bars. Beethoven wrote 2 separate beats per bar, each beat is in turn divided into 6s. Unlike what we usually hear this as a tremelo effect, she clearly wanted each (heart)beat to be heard. Immediately the music took on a humanistic outlook rather than a comsic one. I have a file saved of this performance. I can upload it somewhere if anyone is interested.

Interesting,thanks. As you noted:

https://www.free-scores.com/download-sh ... p?pdf=1220

Unfortunately, sound not good on this one of her LvB 9:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvuPyF7sa2s

[stickles]

I have upload the radio program download here.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lvt9H2 ... p=drivesdk