Australia has once again voted Beethoven’s Ode To Joy as the number one piece of music that makes them feel good.
Every year for over two decades, ABC Classic has asked music lovers to nominate their favourite pieces in a particular category, then spend a whole weekend counting down the results.
This is the fourth time Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, famous for its finale Ode To Joy, has topped the Classic 100 countdown.
It’s an extraordinary feat for a symphony that premiered in Vienna 200 years ago.
ABC Classic presenter Vanessa Hughes says whether you’re a lifelong lover of classical music or a new fan, “Ode To Joy is the one piece of classical music everyone knows and loves”.
With its memorable tune and brilliant interplay between instruments, Ode To Joy has something to please all music lovers.
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The lyrics, penned by poet Friedrich Schiller, have also become the anthem that symbolises protests and celebrates peace.
In the poem, Schiller conveys how the sparking of joy among friends can unite what customs have divided, urging us to “seek God above the starry canopy”.
How Beethoven’s Ode To Joy has endured for 200 years
Beethoven composed his last symphony late in life, when he was almost completely deaf.
It is said that at the 1824 premiere in Vienna, Beethoven kept conducting after the orchestra had finished playing. One of the soloists had to turn the composer around to see the enthusiastic applause of the audience.
Since then, the symphony, particularly its finale Ode To Joy, has become one of the most recognisable pieces of classical music.
“Beethoven’s message of a borderless world where all people are united through our shared humanity is such an extraordinary [gift],” says Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s principal conductor Benjamin Northey.
“You have to go on an emotional journey to hear Ode To Joy’s simple melody, which makes it more special.”
And it’s rare that people hear this music alone, making the music synonymous with community, fun and friendship, Hughes says.
“You’re either singing with lots of other people or you watch it being sung by a big choir.”
“It’s an absolute fun banger,” she says.
An anthem for the world’s most momentous occasions
Ode To Joy has accompanied some of the biggest turning points in history, being played and sung in protest, peace and celebrations.
Hughes points out Beethoven’s music was used by Germany’s Third Reich, but has since been reclaimed to become a rallying cry for unity.
Since 1985, it has been the official anthem of the European Union.
In 1989, Ode To Joy was played by protesters in Tiananmen Square. On Christmas day of that same year, Leonard Bernstein famously conducted Symphony No. 9 at the Brandenburg Gate to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Bernstein replaced the word “Joy” (Freude) with “Freedom” (Freiheit) in the text sung by the choir, setting a musical precedent.
In 2024, a new recording presents Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson.
Wilson followed Bernstein’s lead and the opening word of the piece in Ukrainian was “Slava”, from the phrase that has become familiar around the world as the rallying call of Ukrainian resistance in the face of [the] Russian invasion, Slava Ukraini! (“Glory to Ukraine!”).
“The members of our orchestra are literally playing for the liberty of their embattled country,” Wilson says.
“When Beethoven composed [Symphony No. 9], he was reaching for utopia. Two hundred years later, we’re still fighting for freedom from oppression.”
Northey remembers a February 2020 performance with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, where the orchestra and choir collaborated with circus performers, who manifested “the music in a physical form”.
The symphony was performed alongside Dutala (Star-filled Sky) by acclaimed composer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, bringing [an] Australian First Nations perspective to Schiller’s words: “Above the starry canopy/Above the stars must Biami (the creator) dwell.”
“We and a lot of people came away from that concert thinking that was an innovative experience that put the piece in a different light.”
A firm favourite for ABC Classic audience
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 has appeared regularly in the past Classic 100 countdowns, winning three times in 2020, 2016 and 2010.
Hughes vividly remembers the 2019 countdown, when Beethoven was nominated as Australia’s favourite composer and she took part in celebrating the win with a performance of Ode To Joy.
“I hopped in a taxi and went to the Opera House to sing with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs,” she recalls.
“I was nervous and scared because the piece was actually quite challenging to sing, but I was with a fabulous mass community choir so it was really thrilling.”
Ode To Joy has also frequently appeared in the top 10 during past countdowns. It was nominated second in 2021 and 2009, and came third in the original Classic 100 countdown in 2001.
Ode To Joy’s inclusion in films such as Die Hard, Dead Poets Society and A Clockwork Orange also earned it a spot in the top 30 in the 2013 Classic 100: Music in the movies.
Hughes thinks the music is so beloved because “it’s got the fun that Australians want in classical music”.
And, according to Northey, in 2024 Ode To Joy is more relevant than ever.
The music speaks about “feeling good about the world, not just about ourselves”, he says.
“Even with all of the problems and the conflicts of the world, we can never stop hoping and striving for that vision that Beethoven has brought with this piece.”
Wilson, who is preparing to tour Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 around Europe, the UK and North America, believes Ode To Joy is a balm for people’s minds and souls.
“The genius of Beethoven elevates humanity and inspires us to continue to fight for what is right,” she says.
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