Joy, beautiful spark of the gods

Joy! Glad joy!

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,

Daughter of Elysium,

We approach fire-drunk,

Heavenly one, your shrine.

Your magic reunites

What custom sternly divides

All people become brothers

Where your gentle wing alights.

 

Tonight a dream of decades came true for me. I got to hear Beethoven's Ninth Symphony live in concert. To me it is the ultimate piece of music - so uplifting, so magnificent - if mankind ever needs to justify its existence as a species we only need play that music, and our great potential will be shown.

Be embraced, you millions!

This kiss for the whole world!

Brothers, beyond the star-canopy

Must a loving Father dwell.

Do you bow down, you millions?

Do you sense the Creator, world?

Seek Him beyond the star-canopy!

Beyond the stars must He dwell.

The concert was at the beautiful Orchestra Hall in Detroit, with its lovely French inspired artwork (Detroit was originally a French city, after all, and Michigan was once a part of New France). It was given by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Rafael Fruhback de Burgos. Also performing was a group from Ann Arbor, the University Music Society Chorus, along with soloists named Maesha Brueggergosman (soprano), Robynne Redmon (mezzo-soparano), Marcus Haddock (tenor), and Eric Owens (bass).

The evening started with  a Beethoven piece I had never heard before, called Overture to King Stephen, Opus 117. It was immediately apparent why they began the evening with that short piece - it has a recurrent theme in it that approaches the famous Ode to Joy theme. It is almost as if the composer was approaching that famous theme years earlier in this little theater piece.

And the Ninth -- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Glorious. Perfect. Beyond words. When the bass singer started his solo, the whole audience breathed ahhhhhhhhh from pleasure to hear his voice.

When everyone left at the end of the evening, so many people walked to the parking structure whistling, humming, or singing the Ode to Joy theme...no one wanted to leave. We would have all sat there seriously happy to have heard it again and again as long as the musicians and singers would have been willing to perform. We gave such a long standing ovation, the theater pretty much kicked us out at the end. They finally turned up the lights in an effort to make us shut up and stop cheering and leave for the evening 

Glorious. Perfect. Wonderful.

Be embraced ye millions!

This kiss for the whole world!

Brothers, beyond the star-canopy

Must a loving Father dwell.

Be embraced,

This kiss for the whole world!

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods

Daughter of Elysium,

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods