Beethoven 9 and All the Feels
On April 11, 13 and 14, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performed three sold-out performances of Beethoven’s always-mind blowing Symphony № 9 with conductor Thomas Søndergård at the podium.
It wasn’t EVERYONE’s favorite Beethoven 9.
However, every once in a while, we get some feedback about the experience of attending the Symphony that we can’t help but amplify. Following Thursday night’s performance, we posted a great photo of our sold-out hall, taken from the chorus risers by ASO Chorus member Cyn Goeltz DeBold, with the following message:
“Always a treat to watch a full house leap to their feet at the end of the performance! #lovemyaso #beethoven9" View original post.
We got some wonderful comments on the post:
“Was a wonderful night. Loved every note.”
“It was a wonderful concert. Thank you ASO (and friends) for a terrific evening.”
“There may be no more moving musical experience than the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.”
The one that we had to share came from another Chorus member, soprano Jessica Berber, who had a friend in the audience that evening, and her story gave us all the feels.
My dear friends,
Last night a good friend was in the audience. He’s smart, cultured, music-savvy — has heard Beethoven Ninth all over the place, performed by various orchestras and choruses. It’s one of his favorites. And you guys: He was moved by our performance last night in ways that he has NEVER been moved by the piece before. He was late meeting me in the lobby because he had to take a few minutes to compose himself after a final movement that he cried through. When he finally appeared, he was still breathless. I could barely keep up with him on the walk back, literately and figuratively. He was near manic — the raw emotion and power running through him was clearly difficult to contain. “I’ve heard this piece so many times,” he panted, “and I finally GOT IT. The chorus in the final movement — it moves you beyond anything that has happened orchestrally to that point. As if it’s the obvious and only way such a great work could end. You all floored me. I have never been so moved, so transported.”
You guys. We transported someone last night. What we are doing is nothing short of miraculous. We may have different opinions about artistic interpretations, little things we always wish came out a little differently, etc…but at the end of the day we gave at least one person a real gift last night. I can’t tell you all how grateful and fulfilled I was to hear that. What I can say is thank YOU — for sharing your gifts with me, with each other, and with our listeners. What a special and precious privilege it is to make music and miracles together. Thank you ❤️ #atlantasymphony
Thank YOU, Jessica, for sharing this story, and thank you to your friend for “getting it” with us.
