Ode to Joy - Beethoven-Liszt Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, 4th Movement

The “Ode to Joy” theme from the rousing finale of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is probably among the very first excerpts of music that many of us, including myself, used to play as a beginner. With that being said, I have never gotten over the fact that this supreme music that we are privileged to appreciate was composed by a musical giant battling with severe hearing loss and tinnitus. This is why my reinterpretation of this timeless masterwork must show more of its glory and originality on a much grander scale. Although I have yet to develop the technical proficiency required to pianistically replicate the entire choral symphony, I hope that what I have learned to play as a side project for this summer (winter for the Southern Hemispherians) is sufficient to take us through a journey from the deepest suffering to the purest happiness and joy possible and convey perhaps the most poignant message that Beethoven and Schiller left for the world today - the universal brotherhood of humanity.

PS: huge credits to Franz Liszt for making the piano capable of reproducing the characteristics of such stupendous symphonic/choral music in the compass of its seven octaves.

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