beethoven and me
I just returned home from attending the symphony performance of Beethoven’s 9th.
Amazing.
A gift to my soul.
A magnificent journey through the experiences of the human spirit and a triumph of both God and man.
My body is still tingling with the vibrations nearly two hours after the last note sounded. It was that amazing. If you ever get a chance to attend a live performance, do it!
I learned something about Beethoven and myself tonight. The first performance of his Ninth Symphony was on May 7, 1824 in Vienna, exactly 150 years before my birth. Just think of the connection! May 7 is Beethoven’s triumphant day and it is the day I was finally born, after weeks of refusing to come, I made my entrance on May 7. I have always loved Beethoven, maybe this is why. Maybe I decided to be born on that day for that very reason? When Keziah was about 18 months old, she would put in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and dance for the entire thing. She loved it. Maybe it is in my family line to have a connection with Beethoven. Who knows, maybe?
Seriously though, I was transformed tonight, I could hardly contain myself from shouting. The fourth movement is so incredibly powerful. It is healing. It is a passionate statement about the greatness of God and the potential of the human soul. The entire symphony is heartache and trials and discouragement and hope and renewal and endurance and finally, JOY! I felt all my cares melt away and I wanted to rejoice with all my fellow sojourners here on earth that we can live in happiness. We can have joy. We can love. We can sing to our God above and it is glorious to be one of His creations. GLORIOUS!!
Remember he was entirely deaf when he wrote it. He could not hear a note of this incredible work of art. Utterly amazing.
Do me a favor and listen to it. Give yourself a 74 minute gift and listen to the entire symphony and then you will know why I was so touched.
***By the way, did you know that the reason a CD can hold the amount of music that it holds is to ensure that all of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will fit on one CD. Talk about having an impact on the world.
I'm Tracy, a mama with big dreams, crazy ideas, loads of laughter, an insatiable desire to learn, and enormous piles of laundry.
Sigh… I’m going to cry if I hear you and Annalee mention this one more time!!! ;) I’m so jealous.
I didn’t know that about cd’s… so neat!!
Cry, because you would have LOVED it.
So, you said the ovation the previous night was seven minutes. How long was yours? Sounds like a delightful and moving evening. You deserve it! Especially after the week you had! Now take this next week a little easier, would you?
I don’t know how long, not seven minutes, but really long. The conductor and soloists came back on stage 3 times while we were clapping and my arms nearly gave out. I could not have gone on much longer!
I wish you could have been there!
I know! It was so amazing! After a great performance, I always feel like I’ve been to the temple. Not exactly the same feeling, but I still feel uplifted and taught. So wonderful.