Beethoven: The Ninth Symphony

Rating:
Summary: ode to joy
Review: i have a completely new level of understanding regarding this tremendous work of music. i appreciate that the author not only works through the musical elements of the work, but also different music appreciation elements as well; he analyses different critical judgements given about the work. furthermore, the complete poem is translated into english (which i should have expected, but didnt). my favorite line of the book is: "Only the most cynical of listeners can walk away from a performance of the ninth symphony without sensing that all could be well with the world, if only the world wished it so" (pp. 8)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book is wonderful even for the non-musician, though technical knowledge will definitely be helpful in reading it. One of my favorite things about it is that it tells us how Beethoven wanted the tempi to be fast. This is a great help in understanding why the tempi are so fast in period-instrument performances like that of Gardiner's recording.