It was on this day in 1824 that Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered in the Theater am Kaminertor, in Vienna, Austria.
There is some question about who actually directed, Michael Umlaut was on the bill as such, but Beethoven who at this time was almost completely deaf stood on the stage with him also directing the music playing in his mind. Accounts vary as to who the orchestra attended to.
Wikipedia tells us “the public received the musical hero with the utmost respect and sympathy, listened to his wonderful, gigantic creations with the most absorbed attention and broke out in jubilant applause, often during sections, and repeatedly at the end of them.” At the end the audience went wild.
There are different accounts, but it seems at the end the maestro was several measures off and was still conducting. Caroline Ungar the contralto walked to the maestro and turned him around so he could witness the ovation.
I’ve heard it said the Ninth Symphony quite simply justifies the whole of human existence. I’m not quite sure of that. But, then, I’m not sure its not true, either.
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