Friday, June 8, 2018

Omaha World-Herald: Thomas Wilkins Conducts Beethoven's 9th This Weekend


Omaha World-Herald



  • Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his Symphony No. 9 in D Minor when he was struggling with legal problems. He also was almost completely deaf.

    Nevertheless, many think it’s his greatest work. When it premiered, a critic said Beethoven’s “inexhaustible genius revealed a whole new world.” Music historians say his final works, such as the Ninth Symphony, show his maturity and a sense of profound spirituality. The symphony’s final movement is the iconic “Ode to Joy,” one of the most performed and beloved pieces in the classical repertoire.


    The Omaha Symphony will showcase the Ninth Symphony in its final concert of the season this weekend, along with Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms.” The Omaha Symphony Festival Chorus, under director A. Barron Breland, will perform on both pieces. Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins will conduct the orchestra. Soloists Celena Shafer, Lindsay Ammann, Anthony Dean Griffey and Kevin Deas will be featured on the Ninth Symphony.

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