When it premiered in Vienna in 1824, the Choral Symphony revealed an unprecedented formal complexity, an orchestration that opened up new creative horizons, and artistic and ideological assumptions that profoundly shaped the entire symphonic output of the nineteenth century. Even today, it remains of monumental importance. It concludes with the famous ‘Ode to Joy’; a free adaptation of a poem by Friedrich Schiller that extols the values of freedom and brotherhood. Owing to the significance of its message, it became the anthem of the Council of Europe (1972) and the European Union (1985). In this programme, it features alongside two other works in which poetry also plays a prominent role. Eurico Carrapatoso paid tribute to Miguel Torga in *A Canção da Urze*. In a world premiere, Alexêi Tolpygo gives voice to Florbela Espanca, Álvaro de Campos and Mário de Sá-Carneiro.
Nona de Beethoven
40 Years of Portugal in the EU
Coro Participativo da Metropolitana
Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa
Eurico Carrapatoso A Canção da Urze (A Tribute to Miguel Torga)
Alexêi Tolpygo Three Portuguese Poems (world premiere)
L. v. Beethoven Symphony No. 9, Choral
Soloists: Andrea Conangla, soprano; Cecília Rodrigues, soprano; Cátia Moreso, mezzo-soprano; Marco Alves dos Santos, tenor; Luís Rodrigues, baritone
Filipa Palhares choir conductor
Pedro Neves conductor
