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Raskolnikov · 06-09-2017, 10:32 AM

To me, there is no composer or artist, period, who can rival Ludwig van Beethoven. I cannot describe the joy his music gives me, how grateful I am to live in a world where music exists and in particular, the compositions of Beethoven. Even at its most melancholic, Beethoven's music makes me feel so human, so connected to everything and everyone else. I'm glad to see so many fans of his 7th here, I actually happen to be seeing it performed by my local chamber orchestra tonight!

Only recently have I begun to really listen to the 9th, and it may well be my favorite music, ever. A friend of mine was telling me about Huxley's "The Island" yesterday, how in that book the mini-society on the island believes that human consciousness cannot be elevated any higher than when they are listening to the Ode to Joy. This past weekend I had the opportunity to listen to the 9th after taking some tabs and smoking some herb, and it was magnificent. I might agree with Huxley's islanders. It's fascinating to me how the 9th has become a sort of "empty signifier," appropriated both by Western capitalists as an "Ode to Freedom" (Bernstein conducting it at the Berlin Wall in 1989) as well as totalitarian regimes (Hitler was notoriously obsessed with the 9th). And of course, that horrible protagonist of A Clockwork Orange and his punctuation of disgusting acts of violence and sexual perversion with the 9th.

I know a few people who, in their fascination with 20th century avant garde classical music (John Cage, Steve Reich, Pierre Boulez) forget that Beethoven is an extremely "modern" composer. The evolution of his symphonies from 1 to 9 is, among other things, a story of modernization. Consider along with that his late quartets and the Grosse Fuge, and we have a portrait of a thoroughly modern composer. Cue Wagner's tonal innovations in Tristan, Debussy's new tonal language, and finally the invention of serialism by Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School, and we're in the throes of the 20th century, where "things fall apart, the centre cannot hold"... To me, it all starts with Beethoven. Fate is knocking at the door... da da da DAAAAA... da da da daaaaaa....

06-09-2017, 10:32 AM	#41 (permalink)
Raskolnikov Groupie Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: St Petersburg, Russia Posts: 9	To me, there is no composer or artist, period, who can rival Ludwig van Beethoven. I cannot describe the joy his music gives me, how grateful I am to live in a world where music exists and in particular, the compositions of Beethoven. Even at its most melancholic, Beethoven's music makes me feel so human, so connected to everything and everyone else. I'm glad to see so many fans of his 7th here, I actually happen to be seeing it performed by my local chamber orchestra tonight! Only recently have I begun to really listen to the 9th, and it may well be my favorite music, ever. A friend of mine was telling me about Huxley's "The Island" yesterday, how in that book the mini-society on the island believes that human consciousness cannot be elevated any higher than when they are listening to the Ode to Joy. This past weekend I had the opportunity to listen to the 9th after taking some tabs and smoking some herb, and it was magnificent. I might agree with Huxley's islanders. It's fascinating to me how the 9th has become a sort of "empty signifier," appropriated both by Western capitalists as an "Ode to Freedom" (Bernstein conducting it at the Berlin Wall in 1989) as well as totalitarian regimes (Hitler was notoriously obsessed with the 9th). And of course, that horrible protagonist of A Clockwork Orange and his punctuation of disgusting acts of violence and sexual perversion with the 9th. I know a few people who, in their fascination with 20th century avant garde classical music (John Cage, Steve Reich, Pierre Boulez) forget that Beethoven is an extremely "modern" composer. The evolution of his symphonies from 1 to 9 is, among other things, a story of modernization. Consider along with that his late quartets and the Grosse Fuge, and we have a portrait of a thoroughly modern composer. Cue Wagner's tonal innovations in Tristan, Debussy's new tonal language, and finally the invention of serialism by Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School, and we're in the throes of the 20th century, where "things fall apart, the centre cannot hold"... To me, it all starts with Beethoven. Fate is knocking at the door... da da da DAAAAA... da da da daaaaaa....