00:00 Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, one of the most groundbreaking and revolutionary musical performances in history, changed the musical landscape forever, despite the composer himself not being able to hear it.

01:52 Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is widely considered to be the greatest symphony in history and has been used in various contexts, despite the composer's deafness and the improbable circumstances surrounding its creation.

03:31 Beethoven received a commission to compose a symphony for the Philharmonic Society of London, and after five years of not putting anything to paper, he began working on his masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony, which he wanted to premiere in Berlin but was convinced by his friends to keep the premiere in Vienna.

05:08 The addition of a choir to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was revolutionary at the time, and despite Beethoven's inability to hear, the premiere received a rousing standing ovation.

06:42 The addition of a choir to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was initially met with some criticism, but the symphony went on to receive widespread acclaim and has since become a beloved and iconic piece of music, with the fourth movement, the Ode Joy, even being adopted as the national anthem for several countries.

08:17 The tradition of performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony spread to Japan during World War I, and today, mega performances with thousands of participants take place on December 31st, with the symphony's fourth movement coinciding with midnight; additionally, the symphony has inspired a superstition known as the Curse of the Ninth, where composers believe that their ninth symphony will be their last, leading some, like Philip Glass, to release their tenth symphony before their ninth.

09:55 The length of a CD was determined by the longest version of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which was 74 minutes, and it wasn't until 1997 that a 74 minute version of the symphony was released.