Premiere of Beethoven's 9th Symphony (1824) | Moment of History

BEETHOVEN is a digital recreation of the premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's iconic Symphony No. 9, colloquially known as the "Ode to Joy," which occurred at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna, Austria on May 7th, 1824. Widely considered to be one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces and one of the most celebrated compositions of all time, the Ninth Symphony cemented Beethoven's legacy as one of the greatest composers who ever lived.

This recreation is the most accurate, extensive, and detailed visualization ever constructed of the Theater am Kärntnertor (which was razed in the 1870s), the City of Vienna at the time (which includes the medieval city walls and the glacis), and the groundbreaking performance itself. Based on our exhaustive research over the last 5 years and digital construction of the Theater space using architectural plans, we determined the choir was actually situated in front of the orchestra instead of behind it, an arrangement that differs dramatically from how the piece is performed today. The number of musicians, their position on stage, and in many cases their actual names, are all accurately portrayed in the piece. Additionally, the piece accurately portrays the four principal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone), the conductor, Michael Umlauf, and Beethoven himself, who famously stood on stage next to the conductor for the entire performance.

The recording used is from Sir Roger Norrington, known for his expertly orchestrated historically-informed performances.

With Kind Assistance From:

The Albertina Museum - Vienna, Austria @albertina
Beethoven Haus Bonn - Bonn, Germany @BonnBeethovenHaus
Wien Museum - Vienna, Austria @WienMuseumYoutube
Dr. Theodore Albrecht - Professor of Musicology at Kent State University
Dr. Thomas Forrest Kelly - Morton B. Knafel Research Professor of Music at Harvard University
Michaela Ullman - Exile Studies Librarian at USC Libraries Special Collections

Performer Information Sourced From:

Theodore Albrecht, “Die Uraufführungen von Beethovens Sinfonie Nr. 9 (Mai 1824) aus der Perspektive des Orchesters,” [“The Premiere Performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (May, 1824), Seen from the Orchestra’s Perspective,”] trans. Ernst Kobau, Journal der Gesellschaft der Wiener Oboe 61 (March, 2014), 6-16; 62 (June, 2014), 8-24; 63 (October, 2014), 4-13; 64 (December, 2014), 13-22; 65 (March, 2015), 3-12; 67 (October, 2015), 13-22; No. 68 (December, 2015), 9-19; and No. 69 (March, 2016), 3-19.

MUSIC CREDIT:

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart, 2000
Conducted by Sir Roger Norrington
© 2020 SWR Records
Courtesy of NAXOS Records @naxosvideos

IMAGE CREDITS:

“Putin attended the opening ceremony of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics” by Presidential Executive Office of Russia is licensed with CC BY-SA 4.0

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ABOUT EX LIBRIS
Ex Libris aims to recreate moments of history in an accurate and engaging format. By using virtual reality technology, viewers are fully immersed in these experiences, allowing them to truly “witness history."

COMMITMENT TO ACCURACY
We at Ex Libris pride ourselves on the extensive research conducted for each of our projects in order to make them as historically accurate as possible. By working with the leading experts in the relevant fields, consulting as many physical and online sources as are available (such as university research libraries and state archives), and sorting through thousands of reference images, we try our best to deliver as accurate a product as possible. However, conflicting sources and scant information are challenges that we inevitably face, as are the limited visual details for many historical events that either pre-date the widespread use of photography or are unfortunately lost to history. We are always looking to improve the historical accuracy of each of our experiences and are committed to making necessary changes in future versions if warranted.

We understand the placement of the 4 principal singers on stage may be different based certain accounts and will be addressed in our updated piece.

[doctor-what]

symphony No.9 is turning 200 next year

I’m hyped.

[Ronald]

es gibt keine andere Komposition auf unserem Planeten, welche besser bekannt ist als die 9th von LvB

[andrewhcit]

Uh, are you SURE the cello section was placed to the conductor's right? That looks like a serious anachronism to me. My understanding is that this string section layout was first used by Leopold Stokowski in the early 20th century.

[kennymike]

Brilliant concept, wonderfully executed, immensely informative.