Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premieres in Vienna

On 7 May 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven unveiled his Symphony No. 9 in D minor, the “Choral” symphony, at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna. It was the composer’s first major appearance on stage in a decade, and the hall was packed with an audience eager to hear what he had been writing in near-total silence.

The work broke the mould. Where earlier symphonies stayed purely instrumental, Beethoven’s finale brought in four vocal soloists and a full chorus to sing the “Ode to Joy”, a setting of Friedrich Schiller’s poem. By the premiere Beethoven was profoundly deaf. He stood at the front beating time, but the musicians had been quietly told to follow the theatre’s Kapellmeister, Michael Umlauf, instead.

When it ended, Beethoven was still turned toward the orchestra, unaware the audience behind him was on its feet.

The contralto Caroline Unger reportedly turned him around so he could see the thunderous applause he could not hear. The symphony went on to become one of the most performed works in the orchestral repertoire.