Album of the Week: Symphony No. 9

Evening folks. There are some things in the world that are so significant, it really doesn't do much good to "review" them in the traditional sense. In a natural sense, it's rather worthless to write out impressions of the Grand Canyon. There's a hugeness to it, a complexity that is so incredibly beautiful and mind boggling as to nearly touch whatever man considers to be the sublime. But people try, nonetheless. There are man-made artifacts that approach this level of complexity, albeit on a much more mortal scale. I think of buildings like the Hagia Sophia or the Colosseum. Or maybe monumental paintings, works of literature, etc. Composers attempt this sort of task as well. But as far as I can tell, out of all the combined wisdom of humankind and all the genius of its brightest minds, one item seems to stand above the rest in touching the sublime. That would be Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

It's a strange existence, being a monumental piece of art. On one hand, you're revered. On the other hand, by no fault of your own, you become a piece of pop culture, far removed from the fluffy red pillows and gilded concert halls that you're used to. Folks use your image to decorate their trendy loft apartments, they nod off references to you in order to appear more "cultured," your own integrity sometimes seems worn away by overexposure. I mean, most everyone in the world has seen photos of the Mona Lisa. It's ubiquitous. So when you would actually come across it, you're so desensitized that you don't even quite know what you're looking at. Reminds of Platonic forms and such. You think maybe the scales will fall from your eyes and you will observe the "true" Mona Lisa. But instead, no matter how hard you try, you still see the shadows on the wall of the cave. Such is life also for Beethoven's masterwork. It's become so infused with our society that no one in the general public knows what the big deal is anymore.

I could rattle off a whole bunch of shit that I learned in classical music history about Beethoven. I could talk about him "flexing his musical muscles" and nearly single handedly changing the course of Western musical expression, yada, yada, yada. But most people, unless you're a music geek, don't care. Most everyone knows my fondness for "integrated" works of music. I love pieces and albums that are interconnected. A few months ago I wrote a review of "Abbey Road" that focused almost exclusively on that fact. Well, Beethoven's Ninth is like Abbey Road. Integrated musicianship at its finest.

The kicker to Beethoven's Ninth of course, is the monumental final movement. The choral movement, the one with the "Ode to Joy" theme. Most people don't pay attention to the beginning of the movement, where the orchestra basically recaps the first three movements in a little dialogue between the cellos and the remainder of the orchestra. Just as you would read personification into great literature, you can read it here, as each section of the orchestra becomes a distinct personality, coming alive in either acceptance or rejection of the prior three themes. Quite ingenious, when you think about it. It's sort of like a movie trailer, previewing what's going to happen next.

Eventually, the "Ode to Joy" theme wins the cello's approval, and the rest of the orchestra tosses it about for a bit. And then a very odd instrument picks up the musical football: a voice.

Never before was anyone stupid enough to write a voice into a symphony, much less an entire chorus. The world of the symphony was a segregated one. The voices picked up their proverbial lunch at the rear of the proverbial orchestra. Mixing voice and orchestra together in this manner was akin to the four Greensboro boys sitting down at the lunch counter at Woolworth's and refusing to get up. The "color line" in orchestra music was broken, and it afforded a new intermingling of colors and musicianship to the symphonic repertoire. Jackie Robinson stepping onto Ebbets Field. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at the Lincoln Memorial. Barack Obama (fingers crossed) winning the Presidency. Voices singing along with orchestra in a symphony. All the same.

But there's so much more to this than just a couple singers sitting in with an orchestra! The poem that Beethoven chose for the 9th Symphony was written by a German fellow by the name of Friedrich Schiller, who was widely known as an intellectual, philosopher, playwright, and advocate of natural rights. The poem, "Ode to Joy," did not just mean something so prosaic as odeing to joy. "Joy," in the early 19th century meant a lot more to the general populace than it does today. Basically, it was a buzzword for "freedom." And in the aftermath of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, a lot of folks had freedom on their mind. Freedom from centuries of feudal government and class dominated social structure. Beethoven, who was himself something of an outsider, couldn't get enough of this idea. And this dude lived it, he was the first major freelance composer, beholden to no noble or other princely figure. In fact, he got pretty pissed off when you talked about aristocracy. In essence, the liberation of the symphony from the traditional chains of form and expression, the setting of the Schiller text, the addition of the human element in voice, Beethoven created a musical establishment of his utopian idea of universal brotherhood. No barriers, no classes, nothing.

This piece is an absolute behemoth. It clocks in near an hour. And every nanosecond of it is a masterpiece of the highest caliber. In my opinion, which I will shove down your throats since this is my blog, this is the single greatest piece of music ever created by man. In fact, it almost seems so magisterial that it could not have come from man, that instead it was only transmitted through a mortal's pen from the gods. I don't know what other explanation there is. It's a tribute to Beethoven's genius, that this came from the pen of a deaf man. No way a mere human creates this sort of thing. No way.

Not to pour on the sap or anything, but this is also one of very few things in life that almost without exception, brings tears to my eyes. I listened to the fourth movement as I wrote this post, and I did tear up. Like I said, it's incredible. I would get the manuscript tattooed around my leg.

I don't care what recording you get, but make sure it's a quality one. I have the London Symphony Orchestra recording of the entire Beethoven symphonic cycle, and they do a fantastic job. Our own Minnesota Orchestra also has an extremely highly regarded Beethoven cycle out there, in fact it's kind of freaking the classical music world right out. But make no mistake, this is a piece of art that you absolutely must own. I mean, damn it, we should be having to pay Jesus a thank you tax or something every time this is played. Or we should have to put on tuxedos whenever we listen to it. But we don't. Artwork this amazing is available to us for a one time purchase fee, and after that, it's always there.

Cut through the popular caricature. Buy this symphony, put it on in a darkened room, and just sit and listen. I don't care if all you listen to is horrible punk music, or KS95, or jazz, or Broadway shows, or whatever. Listen to this whole symphony, the whole damn hour. Do not do anything else. Don't talk, don't even think. Just listen. And play it real loud, especially the fourth movement.

You'll thank me for it.