Nori's blog----Novels, Poems, Essays, from Japan

*

Besides such reason Japanese orchestras found Beethoven's 9th
symphony as a remedy for their finance, that such many concerts
of Beethoven's 9th symphony are held in December every year
reflects that Japanese audience accepted Beethoven's 9th
symphony as a proper music for the end of year.

This must need explanation since Japanese sentiment for the
end of year is somehow diffirent with that of other nations.
The Japanese regard end of a year as something very serious.
If my understanding is correct, other nations, including the
neighbors of Japan as Koreans or the Chinese, or Europeans
and Americans do not have such sentiment as that the Japanese
have in the end of a year. The Japanese reflect the passing
one year quite seriously in the end of a year. They introspect
on what they did in the year or what happened in Japan and the
world in the end of a year. The Japanese think about life and
death in the final days of a year and think what they should
do in the coming next year in every December.

Such cultural tradition about the end of year must have been
another reason Beethoven's 9th symphony has become such a great
event in Japan's December. I love Japan for such culture.

(To be continued)

Nori

*

*

It may not be widely known out of Japan that Beethoven's
9th symphony is a seasonal event in Japan's December.

In December--the last month of the year--so many concerts
of Beethoven's 9th symphony are held in Japan.

In particular, in Tokyo, which is one of the major cities
of classical music in the world, Beethoven's 9th symphony
is performed somewhere almost every night. This is an annual
tradition. It is a very peculiar tradition in Japan.

The reason Beethoven's 9th symphony is performed so often
in Japan's December is not clearly known. It is said, however,
that this tradition is a postwar phenomenon and that this
tradition has its reason that Japanese orchestras began to
perform Beethoven's 9th symphony in December since they
needed money in December, when all Japanese need money to
prepare Nwe Years Days, after the war. There were not many
orchestras in Japan in late 1940s and 1950s. In the early
postwar era, there were not as many orchestras as there are
now. So, this tradition may have its origin in a particular
orchestra's tradition.

Anyway, it is December now.
So, I go to listen the 9th symphony too.

(To be continued)

Nori

*