Week 24 - Ode to Joy

Boston Landmarks Orchestra opened a series of concerts at the Esplanade Hatch Shell. They would be performing on all wednesdays till September. On the inaugural day they played the "Symphony No. 9 in D minor", which is the last complete symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, it incorporates part of the Ode an die Freude ("Ode to Joy"), a poem by Friedrich Schiller, with text sung by soloists and a chorus in the last movement. This symphony is one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces, composed while he was completely deaf.