>Symphony 9
Starts off like a storm. It’s incredibly dramatic and yet powerful. The first movement doesn’t stop at all in its intensity. The quieter woodwind sections are short allowing for the strings to roam the potential of the orchestra’s power. It’s powerful. There is a slightly prolonged quieter section around 9:50 but it is followed by single powerful notes played by both the horns and the strings. The final section has a really vocal horn section, much more noticeable than the strings.
The second movement is also an incredibly famous piece with one of the most striking opening notes ever. The usage of the timpani is very vivid here. It might be just me but the silent sections here are way too silent. There are some great tense string sections going on in the background but I could barely hear them. The strings at 4:45 swirl gorgeously. The theme reoccurs at the end of the sixth minute and what follows are more melodramatic string sections. Fucking fabulous.
The third movement starts off slow and moody. The strings are the prevalent lead with the woodwinds playing quieter leads in the background. Sometimes too quiet. I think this track is absolutely gorgeous but lacks some more dynamic changes outside of the 11:48 horns. It’s not a bad thing and it most certainly has a distinct emotional tie. Once again, fantastic piece of music.