The end of the year in Japan is all about the Ninth Symphony! (Concert information in Kanagawa Prefecture included)

(TOP image) Image provided by Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra

Enjoy casually! Life with concerts
File.4 Beethoven Symphony No. 9
(Mitsuzo Mori / Music writer)

When you think of the end of the year, you think of the Ninth Symphony.
The fourth movement, "Ode to Joy," sees the moment when the choir of around 100 people waiting at the back of the stage suddenly rises to their feet! No matter how many times I experience it, it still gives me goosebumps.

Even so, it's incredibly popular.
Professional orchestras will each perform several times, and community orchestras will also join in, meaning that more than 100 concerts will be held across the country, with tens of thousands of people enjoying the "Ode to Joy." It has now become a staple of December.

It is said that the piece began to be performed frequently a few years after the end of the war, so Japanese people's love for the Ninth Symphony has been around for quite some time.
It is said that because the number of performers, including the choir, is so large that people mobilize their relatives to earn money over the New Year, but the main reason for the popularity of the Ninth Symphony is probably because the wonderful melody of the fourth movement, "Ode to Joy," perfectly matches the sensibilities of the Japanese people.
*Image provided by Yokosuka Arts Theatre

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
It premiered in 1824, three years before his death at the age of 56. It was his last completed symphony. This story takes place about 200 years ago.

By the way, do you know where the "Ninth Symphony" was first performed in Japan?
It was a prisoner of war camp in Tokushima Prefecture!
The year was 1918 (Taisho 7).
Amazingly, it was performed by German soldiers who were captured by the Japanese army in China after World War I. This happened exactly 100 years ago.
* "Orchestra group photo in the auditorium" image provided by Naruto German House

However, although there are prestigious orchestras in Germany that perform on New Year's Eve, there does not seem to be an image of "end of the year = Ninth Symphony."
But for Germans and Europeans, the Ninth Symphony seems to exist as something even more special, something very real.

When the Vienna State Opera, destroyed in the war, was rebuilt.
The end of 1989 saw the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The following year, East and West Germany were reunited.
And best of all, "Ode to Joy" has been adopted as the anthem of the European Union (EU).
The lyrics of the poet Schiller's "Ode to Joy" are a hymn to humanity and a strong call for solidarity between people, which is proof that they are a source of hope for the people of Europe.
And Beethoven's music!
From his late 20s, he began to suffer from hearing problems, which are considered life-threatening for musicians, to the point that he even sent a letter to an acquaintance that read like a suicide note.
The incredible creative drive that always seeks newness, and the anguish that comes with it.
Apparently, by the time he was around 40, he had lost most of his hearing in both ears, meaning that the Ninth Symphony was composed under such circumstances.
He is in poor health due to hearing loss. He is stubborn and moody.
Although he loved cleanliness, he was not good at tidying up his room, and it is said that he moved 60 times.
In other words, Beethoven had a difficult life.
That is why idealistic messages of peace, freedom, and solidarity never end up as mere pretty words, but rather reach the hearts of people all over the world as a vivid and earnest "ray of hope."

The introduction to the first movement is reminiscent of the beginning of the universe
Is the second movement a dance of joy and pain?
The heavenly beautiful third movement
And so it begins…
To me, to you, and to the world
Let the "Song of Joy" ring out!!

The following events have all ended.

[Kanagawa Prefecture "Ninth" Concert Information]

Kanagawa Prefectural Hall
■Concert for Young People Yokohama Symphony Orchestra 691st Regular Concert
Date and time: December 16th (Sunday) 14:00 start (doors open at 13:00)
Conductor: Yuki Tobinaga
Soprano Takashina Ayano / Alto Yanatori Sato / Tenor Ushiroda Shohei / Baritone Takeuchi Toshiki
Orchestra: Yokohama Symphony Orchestra
Choir: Yokokyo Symphony Orchestra and the Society for Singing the Ninth Symphony, Yokokyo Symphony Orchestra
Price: All seats reserved 2,000 yen

■Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra Regular Concert "Symphony No. 9"
Date and time: December 21st (Friday) 19:00 start (doors open at 18:20)

(c)Greg Sailor
Conductor: Junichi Hirokami
Soprano Eri Takahashi / Alto Rina Hirayama / Tenor Hiroyuki Yoshida / Baritone Takahito Asai
Orchestra: Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
Chorus: Kanagawa Philharmonic Chorus
Price: S seats 7,000 yen, A seats 5,500 yen, B seats 4,000 yen
Youth (under 25) - 1,000 yen per seat on the day only
Seniors (70 years and over) 10% discount on all seat types

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
■Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Symphony No. 9 Special Concert 2018

Date and time: December 15th (Sat) 18:00 start (doors open at 17:10)
Conductor: Michiyoshi Inoue
Soprano Eiko Suga / Alto Sumie Fukuhara / Tenor Ken Nishikiori / Baritone Takashi Aoyama
Orchestra: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra
Chorus: Tokyo College of Music
Price: S seats 9,000 yen, A seats 7,500 yen, B seats 7,000 yen, C seats 6,000 yen, P seats Ended
Ys (under 25) 3,500 yen *Limited seats remaining