Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphonie No. 9 'Hymne à la joie' (Joseph Swensen)

Information

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

• Symphony No. 9, Op. 125

Angélique Boudeville, soprano

Anna Bonitatibus, mezzo-soprano

Mauro Peter, tenor

Florian Boesch, bass

Chœur de l'Opéra National de Bordeaux

Chœur d'Angers Nantes Opéra

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine

Joseph Swensen, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Alpha Classics

_____________________

Joseph Swensen interprets Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as the composer’s ultimate celebration of humanity—not the exalted hero, but the ordinary individual embodied in the chorus. He sees the symphony as a journey: the opening movements evoke primordial chaos and a universe before humanity; the third offers a celestial dream; and the finale marks humanity’s awakening. At its heart lies the Ode to Joy, a melody Beethoven intended for everyone to sing. For Swensen, the chorus is not divine or perfect, but a profoundly human expression of Enlightenment ideals—an outpouring of shared joy that continues to resonate universally.

Joseph Swensen (b. 1960) is an American conductor, violinist, and composer. A Juilliard graduate and former pupil of Dorothy DeLay, he first achieved acclaim as a violinist, recording major concertos with André Previn, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Since the mid-1990s he has focused on conducting, holding posts with the Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, and NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, while maintaining ties with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as Conductor Emeritus. Swensen is also active in opera, composition, and teaching, most recently premiering The Ring Odyssey (2023) and serving as professor in Glasgow and Indiana.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz