Sinfonieorchester Basel
Chor des Theater Basel
Camilla Tilling, soprano
Jasmin Etezadzadeh, alto
Rolf Romei, tenor
André Morsch, bass
Ivor Bolton, conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827):
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125 (1824)
Those who speak of the Ninth usually still refer to Beethoven's imposing last symphonic work. The last movement of his 9th Symphony with the chorus Ode to Joy has long since achieved cult status. So monumental is this work that composers after Beethoven struggled to even dare to write their own number nine. The 'curse of the 9th Symphony' took the lives of both Schubert and Bruckner during the composition of their Ninth. Mahler, feeling confirmed in his superstition, called his Symphony No. 9 Das Lied von der Erde ('The Song of the Earth') to be on the safe side and only continued his numbering after its completion. Beethoven's 70-minute symphony is also remarkable in that the composer was already deaf when he composed it. At the premiere of the work, he is said not even to have been aware of the audience's applause. Under the direction of Ivor Bolton, the Sinfonieorchester Basel and soloists from the Theater Basel will perform the powerful Ninth at the Stadtcasino Basel and the Theater Basel for the festive New Year.