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Crescendo
Ignace "Iggy" Jang
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Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony rings in the new
Beethoven's legendary Ninth Symphony is a masterpiece of such exalted status that it has become an anthem of universal brotherhood. In the unlikely event that you don't remember the tune, you can hear pieces of it just about everywhere, from movies such as "Die Hard" and "A Clockwork Orange," to an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," to the popular cell phone ring.
Honolulu Symphony
Beethoven's Ninth, with Alasdair Neale, conductor, and the Honolulu Symphony Chorus:
In concert: 7:30 p.m. Thursday
Place: Blaisdell Concert Hall
Tickets: $25 to $75
Call: 792-2000 or Ticketmaster, 877-750-4400
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But nothing can compare to a live performance and the more than 130 voices of the Honolulu Symphony Chorus singing "Freu-de, schön-er, Götter-funken!" That's German for "Joy, beauteous spark of divinity," in a triumphant expression of mankind.
On Dec. 29 the Honolulu Symphony, led by maestro Alasdair Neals, together with the chorus, led by Karen Kennedy, will ring in the New Year with this renowned symphony. The chorus will dazzle you with its festive jubilation. Joining forces with us will be four acclaimed soloists from Hawaii: soprano Vicki Gorman, mezzo soprano Mary Chesnut, tenor Lawrence Paxton and baritone/bass Leslie "Buzz" Tennant.
The Ninth Symphony has a long and illustrious history that continues to grow. It's the European Union's anthem. Student protesters played it at Tiananmen Square. It consistently tops the bill when a new concert hall is dedicated. The final manuscript recently sold at auction for $3.47 million. Musicians from both sides of the Iron Curtain performed it when the Berlin Wall came crashing down in 1989. In 1956, East and West Germany selected it as their anthem for a joint team of Olympic athletes. And the people of Japan have embraced this work to such an extent that it's become a holiday institution. "Daiku," or simply "Nine," is performed more than 100 times each December.
The text to the Ninth Symphony's "Ode to Joy" comes from "An die Freude" or "To Joy," a poem written by the German playwright Friedrich Schiller. First published in the late 1700s, this ardent expression of humanity secured Beethoven's lasting interest. Still, 30 years and eight symphonies went by before he felt confident enough to put the poem to music.
Composed late in Beethoven's life, in 1823, "Ode to Joy" resonates magnificently in our hearts. It symbolizes the deliverance from humankind's hardships and challenges -- the agony of doubt, questions of faith and the search for love -- the ode has it all.
The movements that precede "Ode to Joy" lay the perfect groundwork to its spectacular conclusion. The mysterious and turbulent opening can be compared to the void of nothingness before the creation of the universe. In musical terms, this effect is achieved by playing two musical notes separated by an open fifth. If you can't picture it, type a Q and T on your keyboard. You'd call it that fifth in music.
What follows is an incredible culmination of powerful music that takes you right to the finish line. There's even a Turkish march mixed in, so called for its use of cymbals, bass drums and triangle. Perhaps the Turkish march was intended as a musical gesture to bridge cultural differences? We may never know, but rest assured you'll be caught up in this spectacular, musical whirlwind.
Amazingly, Beethoven suffered from total deafness when he wrote the Ninth. Legend has it that at the 1824 premiere, he was totally unaware of the enthusiastic response because he couldn't see the audience from his seat. I prefer to think that he was unable to react because he was overwhelmed by the feeling of transcendence that the live performance of his work created.
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at
suggestions@honolulusymphony.com