This Christmas, in 2024, the Northern Orchestra seeks to evoke the choral-symphonic repertoire with a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This masterpiece, a cornerstone of music history, celebrates the 200th anniversary of its premiere in Vienna in 1824. Beethoven, a highly revered German composer, created this first great “choral” symphony, which was groundbreaking at the time. Its formal structure, with a duration exceeding one hour, shattered previous norms, introducing a monumental creativity where a finale featuring four vocal soloists and a choir redefined the course of music as it was known. The grand and exquisite melody of the Ode to Joy, based on F. Schiller's poem, is destined to endure forever.

For this performance, the Northern Orchestra is joined by a participatory choir featuring members from various municipalities across the country and four distinguished Portuguese soloists, under the direction of their artistic director and principal conductor.