Symphoniker Hamburg / Sylvain Cambreling
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Divine spark
Beethoven’s world-embracing Ninth Symphony, which has been a part of the core repertoire of the Symphoniker Hamburg and chief conductor Sylvain Cambreling for many years, should actually have been premiered in London. That’s because it was London’s Philharmonic Society that commissioned Symphonies No. 9 and No. 10 in 1817. Beethoven’s surviving sketchbooks from this period provide a lively picture of a composer who was expecting to travel to England. However, health issues, depressive moods and financial problems forced Beethoven to rethink those plans. It wasn’t until 1822 that the composer was able to turn his attention to »Project London«. Work on other major compositions continued to impede progress, however, and he kept putting off the Philharmonic Society in London.
It wasn’t until February 1824 that Beethoven sent his Ninth, »at least«, to London, where it was given its English premiere on 21 May 1825, with Sir George Smart conducting. However, the symphony had already had its world premiere in Vienna on 7 May 1824. After the premiere, the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung featured only effusive praise. The anonymous reviewer describes the first movement as a »defiantly audacious Allegro in D minor« that is »intellectually stimulating and composed with genuine athletic power«. And after the symphony had come to an end, the »author of these words, now sitting at the writing desk, has collected themselves, but that moment will never be forgotten; here, art and truth celebrate their most brilliant triumph – and one could justifiably say: non plus ultra!«
Performers
Symphoniker Hamburg
Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor Hamburg
Mandy Fredrich soprano
Stine Marie Fischer alto
Daniel Kluge tenor
Markus Eiche bass
conductor Sylvain Cambreling
Programme
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125