# Favorite Part of Beethoven Symphony 9



## periphery (Jul 11, 2020)

Each are ~6 to 9 minutes, locate your favorite segments.

[1/2] means roughly the first half of the movement
[1/3] means roughly the first third of the movement, etc.

Not all recordings match up but do your best.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

I chose four options: both halves of movement 1, and the last two thirds of movement 4.


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## Dorsetmike (Sep 26, 2018)

None of the options above, for me it's the silence before and after.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

"the apotheosis of the march"








When it comes to the musical depiction of the march, I don't think anyone else achieved effects this great, with means as simple as his.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

16:00~17:55 







this is glorious


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

All of it. This symphony is for me great in its whole entirety.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

The bit of the scherzo after the timpani solo, where the scherzo theme returns in a full force tutti. I love that movement so much.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Not enough options. My favorites are the last 2 3rd of the first movement, the middle third of the slow movement and the portion of the final from the instrumental fugato section until the end.


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## periphery (Jul 11, 2020)

My favorite parts are all in the first third and second third of Movement 4, ie.

The main motif intro, and













And this as well


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

My favorite part is the whole symphony.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

I love the whole symphony minus some boring vocal-heavy parts in the final movement, which I usually skip through.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I agree with Axter and Allerius. I have long viewed Beethoven's 9th symphony as my favorite piece of music classical or otherwise. What stuns me is that I honestly feel that one can "drop the needle" anywhere, and I will find that section beautiful, compelling, glorious, sublime. For me, it is roughly 1 hour of perfect music. Before I ever heard the work, I knew many considered it one of the greatest works ever written, but I was still surprised at my response.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

My favorite parts are the first three movements + the finale until the choir starts singing.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

There are sections of the first two movements I like here and there, but the continual dynamic contrasts and change of mood get annoying to me, so there isn't any one long stretch I like in particular. To me like many of Beethoven's works there are too many loud climaxes, it makes the effect grow tiring after a while and each successive one starts to lose its potency. These kinds of devices should be used more sparingly in my view. Its like a roller coaster that goes up and then down and then up and then down, maybe exciting the first couple of times, but then starts to wear thin and seem kind of gimmicky to me.


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## Bruckner Anton (Mar 10, 2016)

my favorites are the first three movements. Just a few highlights:
movement 1: the major/minor key game at the beginning. the use of motives to build up themes as always. the great confrontation in the middle section. the downward semitone bassline at the end of the movement. the last note of unison D instead of a triad.
movement 2: the use of timpani as a melodic instrument at the beginning. the great polyphonic fugato passage shifts into a vivid homophonic dance music.
movement 3: deeply touching slow movement (just like many of his slow movements in his late string quartets and piano sonatas).


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The first movement --- monumental.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Axter said:


> All of it. This symphony is for me great in its whole entirety.


This goes for me too.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

.....omitted.....


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

I love Beethoven #9 - both as a listener and a performer. 
The finale is wonderful, esp if presented well, with the different episodes connected, with a focus, an inevitability that is very powerful [Reiner; Toscanini got it, too]
There are so many great touches of orchestration throughout the work...too many to name...but to hear a performance that brings these out is a real treat...
as a performer, LvB 9 is probably the most exhausting piece to play - a real marathon - mvts I, II, III are long, demanding, constant playing for woodwinds...the scherzo can be very taxing, esp if repeats are taken....the Adagio is a long song, that spins and spins, very fatiguing but quite glorious to play...
in the great finale, you actually get some rests here and there!! 
Beethoven #9 gets played a lot, like #5, often by groups that aren't really up to it, but they put it on anyway...it is difficult to put across in all its glory, due to the instrumental and vocal demands, plus the ongoing drama and enormous structure of the work...


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

*Favorite Part of Beethoven Symphony 9*

Count on this Forum to consistently pose head-ache inducing, mentally challenging, impossible to answer queries.

Of course, _all_ of the Beethoven Ninth is indispensable, meaning all of it proves a "favorite part".
But, if my life depended upon extracting a chunk of it just to answer the miserable question posed (Oh, I can already begin to feel my temple throbbing!), I would have to opt for the Fugato episode (based on the "Joy" theme) that strikes about mid-way in the final movement, beginning at measure 431 following the exuberant choral proclamation "freudig wie ein Held zum Siegen". _That_ is my favorite section of this glorious work, _all_ of which is (I think I said) a favorite.

I once directed a production of Shakespeare's _Macbeth_ utilizing only Beethoven for the incidental music (with one short exception in the feasting scene which made use of an actual Medieval piece performed by musicians on stage). The curtain opened to the haunting introduction of the Ninth, the thunderstorm of the Sixth provided cover for the slaying of Banquo, the _marche funebre_ of the Eroica gave atmosphere for the Witches to concoct their infernal brew of murder and destruction, and Lady Macbeth did her sleepwalking to the second movement of the Seventh.

But a stellar moment in the production occurred when the above mentioned Fugato music provided backgrounding to the final fight scene between Macbeth and Macduff, swords and tempers (and audience emotions) erupting at full blossom (to utilize a "plant" image, which are common to the play).

I don't know if I would ever select such a soundscape again for a production of this play, but _that_ particular production remains memorable for many reasons. (The visual/set/costume design was based upon colors/textures/imagery from Michelangelo Buonarroti's artwork. The merging of the three greatest artists of all time proved fundamental to my understanding of the scenic needs of the production at that time.)

One caveat: tomorrow, perhaps, or maybe the next day I may have a completely different answer to this query, but for now I'll let this response stand, which is why I marked "Second third of Movement 4 [Part 2/3]", because that is where I estimate the Fugato section lies.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

SONNET CLV said:


> *Favorite Part of Beethoven Symphony 9*
> I would have to opt for the Fugato episode (based on the "Joy" theme) that strikes about mid-way in the final movement, beginning at measure 431 following the exuberant choral proclamation "freudig wie ein Held zum Siegen".


not sure where you mean - is it right at the end of the tenor solo, going into the orchestra interlude?? [the measure #s don't match up with my score.]


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## periphery (Jul 11, 2020)

Just want to thank everyone for their contribution. This will be part of a recommendation list for beginners wanting to dive into excerpts, but I think I will just list full movements in the future, and on polls. We already have data now for some works like B9, WTC, The Ring, and various symphonies. This ties into Science's project, just narrowed down a bit more, for anyone who wants that.


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## mparta (Sep 29, 2020)

At about 55:26 in Muti's CSO version available on YouTube, the strings begin their elaboration of the great tune (56:58). One of the greatest moments I've experienced in the concert hall with in the Philharmonie with Rattle/BPO. The acoustic of that hall made it seem that the upper string version was tangible, visible and swirling in the air over the orchestra. Just magical. That and the the bassoon counterpoint after the first statement of course, always hats off to the bassoons:tiphat:

Muti frequently doesn't conduct. But there's an old CSO/Reiner Beethoven 7th in which Reiner sometimes just uses the baton and has his left hand behind his back:lol: I guess when you're a dragon you can do that.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Heck148 said:


> not sure where you mean - is it right at the end of the tenor solo, going into the orchestra interlude?? [the measure #s don't match up with my score.]


The score I accessed for the measure number is found at the New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives . The passage is about midway through the final movement.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

mparta said:


> That and the the bassoon counterpoint after the first statement of course, always hats off to the bassoons:tiphat:


That's a wonderful solo, one for which you can really pour out your heart and soul...Sharrow/Reiner/CSO - exquisite, beautifully played.



> Muti frequently doesn't conduct. But there's an old CSO/Reiner Beethoven 7th in which Reiner sometimes just uses the baton and has his left hand behind his ba:lol: I guess when you're a dragon you can do that.


Right, that Beethoven 7 DVD - at the conclusion, finale, orchestra going wild, really blowing up a frenzy...Reiner takes out a hanky to blow his nose [still conducting!!]
I played for Walter Hendl, and Boris Goldovsky, both Reiner students...they would frequently stop conducting. Just fold up their hands...of course the eyes were constantly moving - they always had control of the tiller, but they'd let the orchestra play....


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

SONNET CLV said:


> The score I accessed for the measure number is found at the New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives . The passage is about midway through the final movement.


OK, got it...it leads to the great "Ode to Joy" eruption- full chorus and orchestra, one of my favorite spots- Reiner, nothing like it, with great, full chorus, blazing trumpets, lively strings...goose- bump stuff!!


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## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

The thing is - anyone's favourite part doesn't exist without all the other parts. 
But the moment in the 4th movement when you can hear written into the score the moment when the choir has to standup..........genius.


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## mparta (Sep 29, 2020)

SONNET CLV said:


> The score I accessed for the measure number is found at the New York Philharmonic Leon Levy Digital Archives . The passage is about midway through the final movement.


Sorry, better to have done it by the score but the online concert was at hand.


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