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2009-10-13

Album Spotlight: Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (Choral Symphony / Ode to Joy)

This week, the folks at classical.com have made Beethoven's 9th Symphony available for free download.  This is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written, so there's very little I could say about it that hasn't already been said.  For such a famous piece of music, however, this is actually the first time I've come across a full version of it for free; even Classic Cat (a site that I've posted about before) only has an incomplete version listed.  Actually, I have to take that back - I'm listening to it right now, and I notice that the fourth movement has been shortened; still, until a more complete version comes along, this is well worth grabbing.

If you're new to classical music, this symphony makes a great starting point, as you're probably already familiar with at least a few parts of it (especially the "Ode to Joy" which forms the basis of the fourth movement).  This version is performed by Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, with Alain Lombard conducting.  As with all free downloads from classical.com, this one is available in both MP3 and WMA formats, at 128 or 192 Kbps; more importantly, it will only be up for a couple of weeks, so if you want it, get it while you can.  Happy listening!

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this info. I tried to download this album from classical.com but I am unable to do so! I registered for the free account and when I try to download, I get the message "you have 0 free downloads available... ". Are you able to download this album? I have written to them but their support is very poor.

JT said...

Hi,

Thank you for the feedback. I remember having a problem downloading albums when I first registered with the site, but it was resolved very soon after I sent them a message (within a day, I believe). I have forwarded your comment to them, so if I hear back from them before you do, I'll post another comment here to let you know what to do.

And yes, I was able to download this album without any problems.