Vienna goes wild for Beethoven masterpiece at 200

In the orchestra were musicians who would later go on to become founding members of the Vienna Philharmonic.

Daniel Froschauer, first violinist and Chairman of the Board of the Vienna Philharmonic, says the piece is part of the orchestra’s history.

“It’s part of our DNA, a unique piece,” he told the BBC.

“It’s an outcry for peace. It’s an outcry for unification, it’s an outcry for brotherhood, and obviously, it’s also the European Anthem,” he said.

“It takes something out of you to play it. Beethoven challenges you, there’s no question. At the beginning, for example, you don’t know whether you’re in D minor or major, it’s not declared. It just immediately takes you in a different cosmos.”

Heidrun Irene Mittermair says that, for her, the greatness of the symphony lies in the way it moves “from the darkness to the light”.

“When you hear the violins or the basses towards the end, when the choir is starting, when the soloists are singing, everything is like exploding in joy, exploding in light and happiness, so that not one bit of this darkness is here any longer,” she said.

“I think Beethoven had a lot of darkness in his life. And I think with this Ninth Symphony, he overcame it.”