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The factional anthem: why dictators, leaders and protesters have fought over Beethoven’s Ninth

The spine-tingling symphony has been used and abused for 200 years: from marking the fall of the Berlin Wall to being Hitler’s birthday song. We follow its rocky road to this year’s Proms

There was nothing unusual – the world being as it is – in the fact that Hulk Hogan was one of more erudite speakers at the recent Republican National Convention, performing with typical subtlety, nuance and jacket-throwing. There’s that spine-tingling moment when we hear the first voice, as the bass soloist sings Beethoven’s own words: “Oh friends – not these tones!” By which he means the previous three movements, 45 minutes of orchestral music. In the first half, there is a dramatised introduction, with actors as well as musicians exploring the background to the symphony, in terms of Beethoven’s illness, hearing loss and personal life; in the second, the performers will play from memory – all of whichopens up yet another world of musical possibility.

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