It’s Beethoven’s 9th, but not as we know it

BEETHOVEN’S Ninth Symphony is widely viewed as one of the greatest compositions in the Western musical canon and is among the most performed works in the world.

Yet according to one conductor audiences are continually being misled because orchestras play it too slowly, 20 minutes too slowly to be precise.

Buckinghamshire-born Benjamin Zander, the musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, has recorded a zippy new version with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra which will see the usual 100 minute score slashed to just 80. He intends to release it in June along with an accompanying disc – 160 minutes in length – explaining why the acceleration has occurred.

“There are indeed many recordings nowadays that claim to have followed Beethoven’s intentions in the matter of tempo, but none does so completely. Not even close,” Mr Zander, told the classical music blog Slipped Disc.

“It is, many would argue, also the most influential work in the entire history of western music. Some might even go as far to claim that it is the greatest symphony ever composed.

“In any event, it seems important to have a performance that faithfully does everything that Beethoven wanted.”

Although Beethoven included clear tempo marks, Mr Zander claims they were never intended to be taken literally. He points to the slow movement which includes a fanfare that when played at a traditional pace sounds more like a dirge.

The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, was composed between 1822 and 1824, when Beethoven was deaf.

Norman Lebrecht, a classical music commentator, told The Daily Telegraph that it was a shame to speed up the work. He said: “One of the best things about Beethoven’s Ninth is that no performance ever feels too long. So making it go faster seems to me a cause for regret.”