This 2019 NYT article on Kirill Petrenko and the Berlin PO has a passage of interest related to Beethoven 9 (full disclosure; haven't listened to this episode of BaL), in preparation for the Brandenburg Gate performance in 2019 that inaugurated his tenure:
"At the first rehearsal for Beethoven’s Ninth, Mr. Petrenko made a proposal: If the players observed all the dynamic markings in their scores, they would be able to delve more deeply into other areas.
“He said, ‘Please, if we can just do this, then we can talk about the things that aren’t on the page,’” said Matthew Hunter, a violist. “Those are the things we really want to talk about.”
Mr. Petrenko moved easily between the details of the score and discussions of Beethoven and Kant, ideas of the infinite, and Mr. Petrenko’s belief that the symphony reflected not only the positive aspects of humanity — it is, of course, famous for the “Ode to Joy” — but the negative, too. He described a pause in its final movement as a moment of silence for the dead, the fallen, the murdered. And he took special care to make sure the chorus could be heard when it sang “stürzt nieder” (“fall down”)."
“He said, ‘Please, if we can just do this, then we can talk about the things that aren’t on the page,’” said Matthew Hunter, a violist. “Those are the things we really want to talk about.”
Mr. Petrenko moved easily between the details of the score and discussions of Beethoven and Kant, ideas of the infinite, and Mr. Petrenko’s belief that the symphony reflected not only the positive aspects of humanity — it is, of course, famous for the “Ode to Joy” — but the negative, too. He described a pause in its final movement as a moment of silence for the dead, the fallen, the murdered. And he took special care to make sure the chorus could be heard when it sang “stürzt nieder” (“fall down”)."
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