Beethoven, Ludwig van - Symphonie No. 9 "Hymne a la joie" - Swensen, Joseph

Joseph Swensen conducts Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with an inner fire that infects everyone attending his concerts; for him, it represents Beethoven's ultimate achievement – a celebration of humanity (not romantic heroes, but ordinary individuals), which the choir expresses musically. Beethoven begins his epic symphony in the darkness of primordial chaos. The first and second movements depict the prehistoric universe; the third movement, a heavenly dream; the beginning of the finale, our awakening. Beethoven intended the joyode to be a melody that everyone could sing. This choir—the musical realization of the ideals of the Enlightenment—is not transcendent, divine, perfect, or flawless. It is humanity singing its joy!