One Can Only Imagine How Beethoven Himself Would Have Relished This Incredible Performance.

It’s often said that everything is bigger in Texas. However, reconsider. Do you believe the Rockin’ 1000 is a large-scale musical ensemble? Think again. Since 1983, a choir of 10,000 singers has convened every December in Japan to perform the choral finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. When you include the orchestra members, the performance becomes truly monumental.

The following video was captured in December 2011. It is led by Yutaka Sado, who has been the General Director and conductor of the choir since 1999. Yutaka Sado, a Japanese conductor trained by Seiji Ozawa & Leonard Bernstein, became the Music Director of Austria’s oldest orchestra, the Tonkünstler Orchestra (first performed in 1907), in 2015.

Jonathan Lauzon succinctly remarks, “Composed by a German legend, sung by a Japanese multitude, gave chills to a Canadian nobody.” GoodVibes1997 states, “As a German, I’m impressed by the perfect pronunciation, the orchestra & the sheer number of musical talent.” The quality of the singing is even more impressive considering that most of the singers are amateurs who supplement professional soloists and a chamber choir. Applications to participate are highly competitive, making selection a privilege.

In Japan, Beethoven’s Ninth has become linked with the Christmas season. In shopping malls, community centers, and concert halls, there are hundreds of performances of the Ninth. Many feature singalongs to the “Ode to Joy,” the choral segment of the symphony’s fourth movement, which symbolizes peace, hope, and joy. The text for the choral part is from a 1785 poem by Friedrich Schiller. Here is a heartwarming mini documentary on the annual 10,000-singer performance of Ode to Joy.

In the documentary, conductor Yutaka Sado insightfully observes that “having 10 000 singers is amazing, but if they’re not into it, it would be depressing. I need to make them feel like they’re not one of 10 000; that everyone has the main role. That’s been my biggest challenge from the first year and still is today.”

The tale of the inaugural performance of Beethoven’s Ninth in Japan has become legendary. This event took place during the final stages of World War One. During the war, approximately 1,000 German prisoners of war were held at Bando Camp. The camp was managed humanely, allowing for sporting and cultural interactions between the prisoners, Japanese guards, and local residents. A German prisoner named Paul Engel was permitted to teach music at the camp and twice a week, he could conduct lessons for interested Japanese individuals outside the camp.

Apparently, the camp developed two orchestras with 45 members each, two brass bands, and two choirs of sixty members each. Over 80 prisoners dedicated months to mastering Beethoven’s Ninth, which was performed in Barrack One of Bando Camp on June 1, 2018, marking the first performance in Japan.

The tradition of the 10,000-strong Daiku (literally nine, referencing Beethoven’s 9th) continued through the pandemic. In 2020, celebrating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the event was held virtually for the first time. Singers from around the globe submitted videos, and there were 11,961 singing videos accompanying the live orchestra. In 2021, the event was conducted as a hybrid live and virtual concert. Take a look:

Regarding the Japanese appreciation for the choral section of Ode To Joy, Toshiaki Kamei, the director of the All-Japan Association of Daiku Choral Societies, states, “Nowadays, we observe many conflicts between different religions or different ethnic groups happening around the world. We believe singing Daiku together with people from various cultural backgrounds helps us learn to accept diversity and promote world peace.”