Beethoven's 9th Symphony

Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premiered on May 7, 1824, at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna. Beethoven, who was almost completely deaf, appeared on stage to set tempos and turn score pages while Michael Umlauf conducted. The symphony incorporated vocal soloists and chorus in its final movement, featuring text from Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy." Henriette Sontag performed soprano and Caroline Unger alto. After the performance, Unger turned Beethoven around to see the audience's standing ovation, which he could not hear.