Listening Blog #2 Beethoven in Japan

Gateway
Performance

Title of the piece: Symphony no. 9 "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven
Performer: 10,000 amateur and professional musicians from Osaka, Japan
Culture: Western art music
Instrumentation: Full orchestra and Choir

I chose this for two reasons. Last class we established that western music is still world music, so it is still valid to discuss, and second, I was captivated by the video Cat shared and wanted to find more western music performed other ways. I started simply searching the internet for "Japanese Beethoven" hoping to bounce around until I found something. What I did find is that Japan treats the Ode to Joy as highly as a national anthem. They perform this piece in times of celebration and times where they are looking for hope in the wake of a tragedy. They are so moved by this piece that almost one hundred years after their first real exposure to it, they love it like its their first time hearing it. This performance really ties into the aspect of cultural authenticity that we've spent a good deal of time talking about. They went to a great extent to learn the German, the western instruments, and the overall feel of this piece. Japan and Germany are two vastly different cultures but these performers make it seem like it is there nature to perform Beethoven. Children and adults alike attempt to sing the original German and if they can't they "fake" it. That accommodation takes away from the authenticity of the performance but it goes to show that their desire for the music is so powerful they are willing to do what ever they need to to experience it.