Gustavo Dudamel takes on Beethoven's Ninth.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
Like a famous conductor on tour across America, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in d minor is a victim of its own success. The four movement symphony was the first in its genre to add human voices in the form of four soloists and a choir to an already expanded symphony orchestra. For better or worse, the main theme of its finale is culturally ubiquitous, a necessity for any orchestra or choral society. As a result, bad performances of the Ninth are legion: enthusiastic readings that do little to enhance the work’s musical worth.
by Paul J. Pelkonen
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| Photo by Matthew Imaging © 2018 Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. |
