Beethoven's Ninth - Fall of the Wall Concert, Part 1

It is said that when Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna (on the 7th of May, 1824), the deaf maestro kept conducting even after the audience was cheering and applauding. Beethoven did not understand the profound impact of his new work until one of the soloists turned him around, to face the crowd.

This performance of the Ninth is by an international orchestra gathered to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Leonard Bernstein conducted, in one of the last formal appearances of his long career.  (He died just under ten months later.)  About one hundred million people, from all over the world, heard the broadcast on Christmas Day, 1989.

This video is part one of four.  It includes the introduction and the first nine minutes of the concert.

See, also:

Beethoven's Ninth - Fall of the Wall Concert, Part 2

Beethoven's Ninth - Fall of the Wall Concert, Part 3

Beethoven's Ninth - Fall of the Wall Concert, Part 4

Credits

Beethoven's 9th Symphony, performed by the Bavarian Broadcast Symphony Orchestra - under the direction of Leonard Bernstein - to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The concert was broadcast throughout the world and performed on Christmas Day, 1989.