ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA - Beethoven's Ninth

Beethoven Egmont, incidental music
Beethoven Symphony No.9 ‘Choral’

A true giant of the piano who subsequently brought his exquisite command of form and colour to the orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy returns to conduct the Phil’s performance of Beethoven’s last and most expansive symphony, the Ninth. Beethoven’s colossal embrace of the spirit of Enlightenment has mesmerised generations since its first performance in 1824.

Tonight local singers will be joined by choirs from Iceland and Norway, and voices from the Liverpool Phil’s own choir.

Before this, a little-known gem – a sequence of the powerful and expressive music Beethoven wrote for Goethe’s play about the Count of Egmont, a noble victim of 16th century Spanish tyranny in the Netherlands.

Vladimir Ashkenazy conductor
Joan Rodgers soprano
Anna Burford alto
Andrew Kennedy tenor
Garry Magee baritone