SDH Captioned
Grades 10 - 12, College, Adults
Directed by Larry Weinstein
Produced by Jason Charters, Bernhard von Hülsen, Liam Romalis,
DVD Purchase $350, Rent $95
US Release Date: 2025
Copyright Date: 2024
DVD ISBN: 1-961192-33-0
Subjects
Classical Music
Disabilities
Enlightenment
European Studies
Health
History
Humanities
Mental Health
Music
Performing Arts
Philosophy
Psychology
War and Peace
Awards and Festivals
Special Jury Prize, Parma International Music Festival
Finalist, Prix Italia
Finalist, Golden Prague International Television Festival
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Toronto International Film Festival Film Circuit
Salt Spring Film Festival
Beyond Borders Documentary Festival
Jecheon International Music & Film Festival
Miami Jewish Film Festival
Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival
Lane Doc Fest
Ode to Humanity
A deeply personal exploration of the legacy and resonance today of Beethoven's 200-year-old Ninth Symphony.
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"[B]rave, richly imagined, eye-opening, and ear-ravishing film" Michael Spitzer, Prof. Music, University of Liverpool |
[Note: Community screenings of BEETHOVEN'S NINE: Ode to Humanity can be booked at Bullfrog Communities.]
In early 2023, filmmaker Larry Weinstein sets out to make a documentary about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. It is supposed to be about how far we have come in the two hundred years since it was written. But when world events pull Larry into his own film, the question becomes a deeply personal one.
BEETHOVEN'S NINE is a documentary about music, but also about war and hope. It follows nine unique individuals, including Ukrainian musicians, a deaf composer, a Polish rock star, a best-selling author, a legendary cartoonist and Weinstein himself, as they try to better understand the legacy of Beethoven's Ninth, the composer's own struggles, the inspiration music can provide, and how humanity continues to look for hope even in the darkest times.
Reviews
"This brave film shows not only how Beethoven's most famous symphony still speaks to us today but also how we can speak to each other, aided by the galvanizing power of music. Here we encounter a fascinating group of people from different creative contexts who by turns ruminate, suffer, and rejoice, and whose responses to Beethoven's music, to his life, and to their own lives are at times almost unbearably moving. With its unflinching candor as well as its hopeful faith in humanity despite the worst evidence to the contrary, Beethoven's Nine is sure to inspire profoundly meaningful, deeply felt, and badly needed discussions in both community and classroom settings."
Scott Burnham, Professor of Music, Graduate Center-City University of New York, Author, Beethoven Hero
"This brave, richly imagined, eye-opening, and ear-ravishing film dares to place Beethoven's timeless masterwork in the context of the modern world with all its challenges, from war to climate change. And it succeeds."
Michael Spitzer, Professor of Music, University of Liverpool, Author, Music as Philosophy: Adorno and Beethoven's Late Style
"How can Beethoven's utopian vision be squared with a world riven by these seemingly endless cycles of violence? No film can answer that question. Beethoven's Nine poses it with particular clarity, and makes clear what's at stake. It ends with a reflection on the work's aspirational qualities, its way of holding open a space for the creation of a better world."
Jeremy Eichler, Boston Globe
"Beethoven's Nine powerfully juxtaposes several narratives: the deaf composer and his enduring legacy, born of Enlightenment ideals; Bernstein's response to the fall of the Berlin Wall; the Ukraine Freedom Orchestra birthed from the pain of that conflict; and director Larry Weinstein's personal anguish at the loss of his sister and brother-in-law to Hamas last year. Woven throughout is the enduring belief of Beethoven's continued power to speak to future generations of Freude/Joy (Beethoven/Schiller), Freiheit/Freedom (Bernstein), Slava/Glory (Keri-Lynn Wilson) and ultimately of love. The Ninth forms the backdrop to each of these scenes, affirming yet again the depth of human emotion present in Beethoven's masterpiece."
Paul Ellison, President, American Beethoven Society, Lecturer of Music History, San Jose State University
"Beethoven's Nine's unexpected twists and turns are expertly woven together with the sounds of Beethoven echoing in the background throughout. These are very impactful stories, and my mind sang out, 'Bravo!' as the light faded in the last image of the symphony on stage. It is inspiring to see how Beethoven's music gives hope to people in so many different ways."
Daniel Tague, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy, Southern Methodist University
"Beethoven's Nine: Ode to Humanity is a sweeping exploration of the overarching themes connected to this important work, from Beethoven's own lived experiences and intent, to what the piece has come to mean in the world at large. The documentary uses the piece to connect various people, times, cultures, and places, weaving a history of common human experiences into one story. Using the Ninth Symphony, current events and the film maker's own personal sorrows, the film explores themes of freedom, hope, and beauty, but most importantly, human connection."
Diana M. Hollinger, Professor of Music and Dance, Coordinator of Music Education, San Jose State University
"Beethoven's Nine: An Ode to Humanity is a poignant and deeply personal meditation on the struggle against the human-made and natural barriers that drive people apart. This is no hagiographic, academic rhapsody about the transcendence of a 'Great Work'; rather, the poetically elliptical documentary asks how art can help us confront the challenges of the present moment. This film could serve as a launching point for discussions on a variety of topics, including war, philosophy, disability, climate change, colonialism, and the sociopolitical impact of the arts."
Devin Burke, Associate Professor of Music History, University of Louisville
"There can be little doubt that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has