As part of its three-week Beethoven Festival, The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Jaap van Zweden) is performing the master’s symphonic game-changer, The 9th Symphony. Psychologically absorbing, suspenseful and grandiose, the 9th remains one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. From the fiery rhythms of the scherzo to the transcendent “Ode to Joy” finale, Beethoven’s last complete symphony is our most intimate glimpse into the internal conflict and moral constitution that defined the composer’s life. You feel the volatility of his temperament, and then the embrace of his inclusive sympathies. The effect is, as Alex says in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, “Bliss and heaven … like a bird of rarest spun heaven-metal.” It’s said that the 9th Symphony’s Vienna premiere was met with rapturous applause and standing ovations. Given van Zweden’s pedigree and intense perfectionism, we expect nothing less from the DSO’s performances — which take place at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Monday at the Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. Tickets range from $42 to $271. For more information, visit dallassymphony.com.
Thu., May 1, 8 p.m.; Fri., May 2, 8 p.m.; Sat., May 3, 8 p.m., 2014