The Ninth
Last March, the USC Thornton Symphony and Choral Artists presented one of the great masterworks at Bovard Auditorium, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
By Evan Calbi
Standing before the capacity crowd at Bovard Auditorium, maestro Carl St.Clair told the audience, “Every one of us will hear the symphony in a very unique and personal way. It must be received with humility, with awe, with wonder.”
Last March, the USC Thornton Symphony and Choral Artists, led by St.Clair, performed one of the great masterworks of late Classical music, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. (See below for credits.) Completed in 1824, the work includes the largest orchestra ever assembled by the composer and the now-iconic final movement, with a full chorus singing “Ode to Joy”—a fitting title for such a revelatory piece of music.
This weekend, another celebration awaits. On Sunday, April 14, students will take the stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall for a landmark performance of the USC Thornton Symphony, USC Thornton Wind Ensemble, and Choral Artists. The evening features another work by Beethoven, his Fifth Symphony, as well as two works by Thornton composers, Frank Ticheli’s celebrated Angels in the Architecture, and Morten Lauridsen’s iconic Lux Aeterna.
CREDITS
USC Thornton Symphony & Choral Artists
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
March 30, 2018
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Jo-Michael Scheibe, chorus preparation
Cristian Grases, chorus preparation
Mary Wilson, soprano
Milena Kitic, mezzo soprano
Scott Ramsay, tenor
Rod Gilfry, baritone
