Twenty five years ago today the Berlin Wall fell. Six weeks later, Leonard Bernstein conducted Beethoven's 9th Symphony in the reunited city, a performance where the lyrics of the fourth movement "Ode to Joy" were changed. "Freude" ("Joy") was replaced with "Freiheit" ("Freedom"). It is perhaps the last time that a lion of the Western arts community unambiguously stood up for freedom. This is the sound of freedom ringing, with Schiller rocking the house starting about 1:06 into this hymn to the Human Spirit.
- O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
- Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen,
- und freudenvollere.
- Freiheit!
- Oh friends, not these sounds!
- Let us instead strike up more pleasing
- and more joyful ones!
- Freedom!
Well done!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteGoosebumps.
ReplyDeleteA powerful performance!
A timely and apt lesson this morning. You haven't lost your knack. Very much appreciated.
That was wonderful! Thank you!
ReplyDelete