number 9... number 9... number 9...

Beethoven - "Symphony No. 9" (1962) - Everest

Hello Friends,

We're classing things up tonight in Vinyl in the Valley.

Often considered (by people smarter than us) to be one of the most important works in all of Classical Music, Beethoven's last Symphony, aka The Ninth Symphony aka "The Chorale" Symphony, was a real game changer.  Like "Potato Head Blues", "Rocket 88", Sgt Peppers or Nevermind, the Ninth Symphony really turned the music world on its head and things haven't been the same since! 

Completed and premiered in 1824, when good ol' Ludwig Von was probably totally deaf, it's a Symphony in four movements which was pretty typical for the time.  What wasn't typical is that the Fourth and Final Movement incorporates the use of a vocal chorus-- something that had never been done before.  The Fourth Movement, often referred to as "The Ode To Joy", had lyrics based on a popular drinking song by the German poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller in 1785.    

Austrian Josef Krips conducts The London Symphony Orchestra.  In 1960, Krips would begin recording all 9 Beethoven Symphonies for the Everest record label.  Overall its a great listen.  Very Beethoven-y.  It goes from subdued, pastoral passages to larger-than-life sounding, bombastic themes.  This is a symphony not to be f'd with.   

Perhaps Alex from A Clockwork Orange puts it best on hearing the Ninth:

Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. As I slooshied, I knew such lovely pictures!

Well said brah!

RATING: 5 birds of rarest-spun heaven metal out of 5