Genius!

I have now heard (and been a part of) Beethoven's 9th Symphony 4 times (2 full rehearsals and 2 performances) and every time I'm more impressed by Beethoven's genius! It is so amazing to me that someone can create music like that, so complex, with themes and parts weaving in and out. It's just incredible! The most amazing thing is that he was deaf when he wrote and helped conduct it. At the end of his performance, the audience was cheering wildly but he had lost his place in the music and was still conducting an orchestra that had stopped playing. One of the soloists had to turn him around so he could see the crowd, who waved handkerchiefs and hats so he could see their appreciation. He wrote that piece through his memory of the sounds, and once it was finished, he never really heard it. How sad but how amazing!