The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will take part in an international project celebrating Beethoven's 250th birthday next year. There'll be a special twist, they'll be performing the composer's famous Ode to Joy in te reo Māori.
The NZSO will perform alongside other international orchestras, who will perform the piece in their respective languages.
American conductor Marin Alsop has assisted the NZSO for the past 12 months to prepare for the project. The New Zealand concerts will be known as Kia Kotahi: He Toirangi Ā-Ao Kia Harikoa.
The NZSO will join eight other orchestras on five continents performing the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 between December this year and December 2020.
Maestro Alsop, a passionate advocate for young people and diversity in the arts, will conduct every performance of the symphony by each orchestra, including those by the NZSO in major centres in late July and August next year.
"Ode to Joy is about standing up and being counted in this world. It's about believing in our power as human beings," says Alsop.
“Everyone will be tied together by this experience and I think that’s the important element—that through this project, we will bring diverse communities together, and communities who don’t normally work together.”
The te reo Māori translation of Ode to Joy will also be made available as a learning tool, with nationwide distribution providing an opportunity for young people around New Zealand to be involved in the project's wider reach.
NZSO Head of Artistic Planning Lucrecia Colominas says it is an honour for NZSO and New Zealand to be part of Carnegie Hall’s initiative.
“Kia Kotahi is a reimagining of Beethoven’s magnificent Ninth Symphony, which is one of his best-known and loved works. Ode to Joy sung in te reo Māori by our young people will be breathtaking. This is a fantastic way to celebrate the genius of Beethoven, our youth and our own rich culture.”
The first All Together: A Global Ode to Joy concerts will be performed by the São Paulo Symphony in December this year.
In 2020 the Ninth Symphony will also be performed by the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Baltimore Symphony and Sydney Symphony.
The project will culminate with a concert at Carnegie Hall in December next year.
