2016 was a tough year. We lost so many musicians this year — some far too young and way before we were ready to let go — Prince, Glenn Frey, Pierre Boulez, Neville Marriner, Keith Emerson, Jane Little, Maurice White, Leonard Cohen, George Michael and Debbie Reynolds among them.
And no matter your party affiliation, 2016 was a bruising year for Americans, leaving most of us weary, wary and divided.
A similar kind of chaos, sorrow and anxiety marks the starting point for one of the most stunning pieces of music ever conceived: Beethoven's final symphony, the Ninth, "The Choral." But by the time you here the tuneful melody in the finale and the baritone sings, "Freude!" — answered in a full-throated response by chorus — you feel a goosebumps-thrill of what might be possible.
Join me on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, starting at 11 a.m. to hear the Berlin Philharmonic, led by Simon Rattle, perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Within thy sanctuary.
Thy magic power re-unites
All that custom has divided,
All men become brothers,
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Resources
Berlin Philharmonic - official site, English
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