The Grand finale of Beethoven Marathon in Petrovaradin: Ten-minute Ovations from 7,000 people.

The Beethoven Marathon by the Belgrade and Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestras, with joint Chief Conductor Gabriel Feltz, had a triumphant finale at an open-air concert in Petrovaradin attended by 7,000 people (Sunday, June 26). A ten-minute standing ovation with fireworks greeted the top performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Ode to Joy with over 200 musicians on stage, along with the Slovak Philharmonic Choir and soloists Ana Malesza-Kutny, Michaela Selinger, Young Woo Kim and Robert Bork.

The Beethoven Marathon is one of the most exclusive events in the world of classical music this year. The applause and enthusiasm of the audience accompanied each performance of both orchestras, from morning to evening, in the alternating playing of the first eight symphonies in the full City Concert Hall in Novi Sad. The enormous enthusiasm of all participants, both on stage and in the audience, followed this endeavor and its culmination in the last, Ninth Symphony performed together. Thus, the Ode to Joy and Schiller’s verses that “all men will be brothers” were shouted from the rooftops of Petrovaradin fortress, which will remain in the unforgettable memory of many.  This magnificent event ended with a fabulous display of fireworks.

The Beethoven Marathon had its first edition a week earlier at the Konzerthaus in Dortmund on June 19. In Novi Sad it was performed as the central event of the European Capital of Culture’s “Fortress of Peace” program project.