It's been twenty years since the Berlin Wall came down. This spontaneous, populist act was a rousing confirmation for freedom from the tyranny of the Soviet Union and reunification of Germany. It was astonishing to see all of the young people converge at that site, climb over it and chip it away. Leonard Bernstein joined in the celebration with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in East Berlin's Schauspielhaus on Christmas Day, 1989, The concert was heard in over twenty countries to an estimated audience of 100 million people. Bernstein reworded Friedrich Schiller's text of the Ode to Joy with the German word Freiheit which means freedom.
In tribute to the astounding German musical heritage, the following is a short list of composers and their works:
Bach, Johann Sebastian. Brandenburg Concertos
Beethoven, Ludwig van. Nine Symphonies
Brahms, Johannes. Symphonies 1 & 2
Mendelssohn, Felix. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor, op. 64
Schubert, Franz. Lieder
Schumann, Robert. Cello Concerto
Strauss, Richard. Symphonic Poems
Telemann, Georg Philipp. Orchestral Works
Wagner, Richard. Das Rheingold
