I was present last night at Daniele Gatti's completion of his l'intégrale des symphonies de Beethoven at the Théâtre de Champs-Elysées. It should be available as a podcast on France-Musique soon.
Here's a few observations about my hearing the Ninth live as opposed to just on record:
1) Hearing the melody of the Second Movement seem to move through the orchestra - strings, woodwinds, more strings, cellos and basses - fascinating to see and hear this happening.
2) It seemed to be a string heavy orchestra. I counted 7 double-basses and 9 cellos and lots and lots of violins (20?) in two separate 'banks' either side of the conductor. I only saw five bits of brass (horns?) This allowed the string-led bits of the symphony to really shine: (the plucked (pizzicato?) section in the adagio really audible; the start of the 4th movement, where the cellos and double-basses introduce the Ode to Joy melody; etc.
However, that discordant tutti which opens the last movement was notably underpowered to how I've often heard it on record. This was one of the few disappointments of an otherwise riveting performance, that packed a real emotional wallop.
I'd be interested in learning if Gatti had selected the orchestra especially this way, or whether it was standard set-up. Can conductors add brass and/or woodwind and/or strings at will?
3) Clapping at the end of the 1st movement. This narked the 1st Violin (a woman who seemed over-familiar with Gatti and whose excessive facial gestures made me feel as if Pantomime season had started earlier this year.) and seemed to upset Gatti, too, albeit momentarily.
4) There was one especially bored-looking individual in the woodwind. I wondered what he was doing there, until he pulled a piccolo out of his pocket towards the end of the 4th movement. Still, he could've smiled a bit.
5) The choir probably outshone the singers, where the soprano seemed too dominant at times. The choir really nailed this performance, lending it a fantastic wall of sound.
6) A remarkably well-behaved audience in terms of coughs and splutters, for once.
7) I was also impressed with the total control Gatti had over the orchestra, seemingly able to bring them all to a halt on a sixpence. He really let the music breath, though I felt he was a bit Furtwängler-ish in his use of rubato, at times.
8) The adagio could have been played at a faster lick. I heard Vänskä's performance today, which seems the ideal (and I write that as a fan of Furtwängler's self-indulgence!)
9) Perhaps what impressed me most was hearing those strange little 'otherworldly' bits of the symphony (plenty in the final movement, and the end of the first (the lament bass part), that invoke awe, a sense of the sublime, hearing those in the flesh, and having them outshine any recording I've heard to date. I was moved to tears.
Here's a few observations about my hearing the Ninth live as opposed to just on record:
1) Hearing the melody of the Second Movement seem to move through the orchestra - strings, woodwinds, more strings, cellos and basses - fascinating to see and hear this happening.
2) It seemed to be a string heavy orchestra. I counted 7 double-basses and 9 cellos and lots and lots of violins (20?) in two separate 'banks' either side of the conductor. I only saw five bits of brass (horns?) This allowed the string-led bits of the symphony to really shine: (the plucked (pizzicato?) section in the adagio really audible; the start of the 4th movement, where the cellos and double-basses introduce the Ode to Joy melody; etc.
However, that discordant tutti which opens the last movement was notably underpowered to how I've often heard it on record. This was one of the few disappointments of an otherwise riveting performance, that packed a real emotional wallop.
I'd be interested in learning if Gatti had selected the orchestra especially this way, or whether it was standard set-up. Can conductors add brass and/or woodwind and/or strings at will?
3) Clapping at the end of the 1st movement. This narked the 1st Violin (a woman who seemed over-familiar with Gatti and whose excessive facial gestures made me feel as if Pantomime season had started earlier this year.) and seemed to upset Gatti, too, albeit momentarily.
4) There was one especially bored-looking individual in the woodwind. I wondered what he was doing there, until he pulled a piccolo out of his pocket towards the end of the 4th movement. Still, he could've smiled a bit.
5) The choir probably outshone the singers, where the soprano seemed too dominant at times. The choir really nailed this performance, lending it a fantastic wall of sound.
6) A remarkably well-behaved audience in terms of coughs and splutters, for once.
7) I was also impressed with the total control Gatti had over the orchestra, seemingly able to bring them all to a halt on a sixpence. He really let the music breath, though I felt he was a bit Furtwängler-ish in his use of rubato, at times.
8) The adagio could have been played at a faster lick. I heard Vänskä's performance today, which seems the ideal (and I write that as a fan of Furtwängler's self-indulgence!)
9) Perhaps what impressed me most was hearing those strange little 'otherworldly' bits of the symphony (plenty in the final movement, and the end of the first (the lament bass part), that invoke awe, a sense of the sublime, hearing those in the flesh, and having them outshine any recording I've heard to date. I was moved to tears.
Loved the details - facial expressions &c. - as well as the musical comments. What resonates most for me in what you say is the last point:
We fund our addictions as best we can!! 
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