Beethoven's 9th Symphony, 7th May 1824

[Wowbagger]

Today is the 200th anniversary of the first performance of, arguably, the pinnacle of musical achievement.

BBC Radio 3 have a concert.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_three

No doubt it will be on iplayer in a while.

[Regulator]

I wouldn't go quite so far as to claim it is the "pinnacle of musical achievement" but it is on in the background as we speak (von Karajan conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker).

[Wowbagger]

I did say "arguably". My own personal preference would be something by J S. Bach - by coincidence, this year is the 300th anniversary of the first performance of the St. John Passion. I think most Bach scholars would go for the B minor mass.

But bear in mind that recordings of the Brandenburg concerti - which lay undiscovered on a dusty shelf until 100 years after Bach's death - were sent into space by NASA in the Voyager spacecraft as an example of what humans can do.

[Peter]

In another coincidence if we imagine I am writing yesterday, this anniversary (May 7th) is my brother's birthday, while mine is the same as Beethoven's.  And if that's not a liberal revival, I don't know what is (TW3).

[Wowbagger]

Freude!

[Peter]

As in Clement?!

[Cudzoziemiec]

Or as in the twin of the tallest building in London?

[Wowbagger]

As in Shard & Freude?

[Cudzoziemiec]

As in Shard & Freude?

[rogerzilla]

I did say "arguably". My own personal preference would be something by J S. Bach - by coincidence, this year is the 300th anniversary of the first performance of the St. John Passion. I think most Bach scholars would go for the B minor mass.

But bear in mind that recordings of the Brandenburg concerti - which lay undiscovered on a dusty shelf until 100 years after Bach's death - were sent into space by NASA in the Voyager spacecraft as an example of what humans can do.

Bach's music features in the novel of 2001: A Space Odyssey, as the only music Dave Bowman is ultimately able to listen to, because it's abstract and doesn't remind him of Earth.  That may have been the inspiration for putting it on Voyager a few years later.

[Wowbagger]

But other composers’ works were sent as well, so I think they is unlikely.