Welcome to the Ether Game Weekly Podcast! This week, Ether Game is exploring some famous conducting composers in a show we're calling " Follow The Leader." Remember to keep your ears out for a portion of Tuesday night's Teaser selection. And don't forget to tune into the full show on Tuesday, September 12th at 8:00pm for a chance to win a prize!
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN D MINOR, "CHORAL": IV. Finale
Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; Sir Georg Solti, conductor. Beethoven: Symphony No.9 (London)
Although nearly completely deaf by this time, it was indeed the composer himself, Ludwig Van Beethoven, who conducted the premiere of his Ninth Symphony in Vienna. By all accounts, he was a very dramatic conductor, making wild gestures for loud passages, and sinking down towards the floor to show the softer parts of the music. Many anecdotes exist about Beethoven's conducting of the Ninth Symphony, but perhaps the most famous is the story recounting how Beethoven continued to conduct after the piece had finished. One of the soloists, in most accounts the mezzo-soprano, had to turn Beethoven around so he could see the cheering crowd. He couldn't hear the applause, but he was able to see their five separate standing ovations.