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AL Baltimor r e a a t e Beetho v en
Cele b
The year 2020 is a very special one for musicians and audiences throughout
the world for it marks the 250 th anniversary of the birth of perhaps the most
hallowed composer of them all—Ludwig van Beethoven. His orchestral and
vocal music radically changed the course of musical history, but beyond that,
it offered a powerful aspirational message to people of all nations and
cultures—one that resonates as much in our day as it did in his. Beethoven’s
Ninth Symphony with its finale containing Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to
Joy” has become a totemic symbol for a multitude of countries ranging from
Japan—who call it “Daiku” and play it to open each new year—to Europe
—where it was performed on site to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall.
S
eeing this anniversary on the
horizon, Marin Alsop dreamed
of celebrating it in a new and
epic way. “I was inspired by
Beethoven’s enduring music and
message of tolerance, unity, joy and
optimism, which pervades all of
his music, but especially the Ninth
Symphony. By adding Schiller’s text and
including the human voice, Beethoven
brought his philosophy of triumph over
adversity to vivid life.” A protégée of
Leonard Bernstein’s, Alsop could not
forget the impact his performance of the
Ninth in Berlin in 1989, with its cries
of “Freude” (Joy) changed to “Freiheit”
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OV E R T U R E / BSOmusic.org
(Freedom), had on the massive audience
there—and beyond.
Alsop’s idea was to perform the Ninth
Symphony throughout the world on
6 continents over the course of the
anniversary year. Each participating orchestra
draws its additional highlighted performers
from local ensembles, and Schiller’s text
is translated or adapted to each particular
country. “The idea of updating the text to
reflect our varied 21st century vernaculars,
while maintaining the same critical themes,
felt like an approach that would have
appealed to Beethoven,” Alsop says.
Looking for an organization capable of
broadcasting this concept internationally,
BY JANET E. BEDELL
Alsop took her idea to Carnegie Hall. “I
partner frequently with Carnegie Hall, so
it was natural for me to share this idea with
them. Their commitment to education and
using music as a vehicle for social justice and
commentary aligns with my beliefs.”
THE GLOBAL PARTNERS
And Carnegie eagerly signed on. The project
was named All Together: A Global Ode to Joy,
and ten partner orchestras were assembled
on six continents, most of them orchestras
Marin Alsop was closely associated with. As
her final performance as Chief Conductor
at the São Paulo Symphony of Brazil,
Alsop opened the international cycle in
December 2019. In April, it’s Europe’s turn
with a performance at London’s Southbank
Centre, site of many major British festivals.
The Baltimore Symphony will be the third
orchestra, representing North America,
in June. Moving on to Australia/Oceania,
performances will be presented by the
New Zealand Symphony in Auckland
and Wellington (July) and the Sydney
Symphony in the famed Sydney Opera
House (August). In September, the China