Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, played by the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) under the baton of Vasily Petrenko. In this August 4, 2019 concert recording from the Young Euro Classic festival in Berlin’s Konzerthaus, the outstanding virtuosity of this European youth orchestra is once again made evident. The young musicians display their mastery in a work even as demanding as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with great dynamism, and a tangible delight in performing.

‘Beethoven's Ninth as the symphony of Europe’ might easily have been the motto of this concert, in which Europe is represented in many aspects: Firstly as the European Union Youth Orchestra brings together the most talented young musicians from all of the EU’s member states; secondly because the Young Euro Classic festival – with young orchestras from all over the world – is a celebration of Europe’s classical music tradition; and thirdly since it is Beethoven's arrangement of Friedrich Schiller's poem Ode To Joy – in the fourth movement of the 9th Symphony – which in 1985 served as the template for the song that has been the European Union’s official anthem.

A chance for the audience to sing along to this European anthem is the shimmering climax of this Beethoven concert. In the concert hall as well as on the public square outside the building, the watching audiences passionately sing along to ‘Freude, schöner Götterfunken’. It’s a statue of Schiller – of all things – that looms in white marble above the singing crowds in front of the Konzerthaus on Gendarmenmarkt; a goosebump-inducing moment in which the utopia of a universal community of all people – brought to life by Schiller and set to music by Beethoven – becomes, for a moment, reality.

If you would like to experience Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as a moving and atmospheric celebration of human ideals, this concert by the EUYO is for you.

Performers:
European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO)
Vasily Petrenko, conductor
Ernst Senff Chor
Steffen Schubert, conductor
Miah Persson, soprano
Theresa Kronthaler, mezzo soprano
Norbert Ernst, tenor
Leon Košavić, bass

(0:00:00) I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
(0:16:50) II. Molto vivace
(0:28:02) III. Adagio molto e cantabile
(0:42:59) IV. Finale
(1:07:18) Europe’s anthem Ode to Joy to sing along to

© EuroArts Music International GmbH

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