In early 2023, filmmaker Larry Weinstein set out to make a documentary about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It was supposed to be about how far we have come in the two hundred years since it was written. But when world events pull Larry into his own film, the question becomes a deeply personal one. Beethoven’s Nine is a documentary about music, but also about war and hope. It follows nine unique individuals, including Ukrainian musicians, a deaf composer, a Polish rock star, a best-selling author, a legendary cartoonist and Weinstein himself, as they try to better understand the legacy of Beethoven’s Ninth, the composer’s own struggles, the inspiration music can provide and how humanity continues to look for hope even in the darkest times.

Inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, Beethoven’s Ninth was the first symphony in history to be accompanied by words - words that were about love and freedom, hope and peace, embracing all of humanity and “kissing the millions.” It was written both as a love letter to all of humankind and at the same time as a powerful protest piece. No matter how bad the world had become, this was a symphony dedicated to posterity - when we might finally all come together to embrace the ideals that make life worth living. The film poses the question: Are we there yet? Are we finally worthy of the hopes and dreams of this highly evolved and thoroughly modern artist two hundred years later? Or has the Enlightenment fallen into an irretrievable abyss of darkness?

Sponsored by Gail Bernstein