Beethoven 9: A true masterpiece

Last night, Paul and I went to see the San Diego Symphony perform Beethoven's 9th. It was a really excellent performance by the symphony and the SD Chorale. Despite the pouring rain, I was happy to see a nearly sold-out house that evening, which ended with a standing ovation. Jahja Ling is a true master at bringing out the heroism, subtlety, and drama of the piece. San Diego is truly lucky to have him, and it was, of course, absolutely fitting for the symphony to perform the piece as its tribute to the holiday season and the spirit of eternal brotherhood.

There was a moment in the last movement where I was floored by how ethereal the choir sounded. I started thinking about what it is about human voices singing together when pitch and intonation and harmonization are all aligned that has such an amazing effect. Breathing together is also something that makes a choir sound like a sort of machine, but with human qualities- making it a living, breathing collective thing that is communally producing this gargantuan sound. And the usage of Schiller's text is always thrilling to hear again. This is the line that gets me (of course I'm sure that the English translation barely does it justice):

"Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
must a loving Father dwell.

Do you bow down, you millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell."

Put that on the lips of a 100 person chorus and a full orchestra, the power of Beethoven's composition and there is surely something spiritual about the experience. Just the agreement between conductors, musicians, and singers to continually perform the piece for nearly 200 years shows how deeply this message has resonated with people through the years. The belief that joy and beauty exists, the harmony of mankind, the thought that even beyond this idyllic, utopian dream of universal brotherhood that there may be a higher being that can be sensed with the help of a little bit of perspective from the stars- that, to me, represents the true meaning of Christmas. I'm glad so many San Diegans got to experience that this weekend.