Beethoven's
9th Symphony is the one piece of music I want with me in heaven..... It’s that big.
Rumor has it
that, when the compact disc (CD) was developed for commercial use, its
74-minute recording capacity was established so as to be able to hold a
performance of this bigger-than-life masterpiece… specifically the Berlin
Philharmonic’s recording under the direction of Herbert von Karajuan. With this in mind, it’s not much of an
exaggeration to suggest that, both technologically and artistically, "The
9th" is the measure of all other music….
It’s that big.
I
own no less than four different recorded interpretations of this music, two on
CD and two on vinyl, from the neo-traditional (Roger Norrington) to modern expressionist
(George Solti). I love sitting in the
dark and listening to each of these recordings, letting the music take me to
places where only my spirit can see.
And, I've listened for years, dreaming that one day I would have the
opportunity to hear and see this music performed live…. You could say that this
has been on my “Bucket List.” So, when I
saw the announcement that the Oregon Symphony and Chorale were joining forces
to amass the 200+ musicians and vocalists
necessary to perform Beethoven's 9th, there was no doubt in mind but
that my wife Rita and I needed to be there…. and then we
were.
In the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
– a space almost as majestic as the music we were about to hear – two among 2,698
other celebrants, waiting to be enveloped in an oration of sounds that would
crescendo with an “Ode to Joy” itself…..
and I was not disappointed. When the
music began I was immediately transported, drawn deeper and deeper into that
space where spirits have visions, led through movements of both pastoral calm
and wild passion until arriving at the fourth movement, where I found myself
holding tightly to my wife’s hand and, with tears rolling down cheeks, hearing
the words in German but comprehending them in English, a celebration of the bonds of friendship that we humans were made to share:
Whoever
has created
An
abiding friendship,
Or
has won
A
true and loving wife,
All
who can call at least one soul theirs,
Join
in our song of praise.
It was then
that I realized I had no intention of crossing this off my Bucket List. Instead, I intend to experience it again, and
again….. It’s that big.
