Ode to Joy - Ludwig van Beethoven reworked by Harry Perry

This reimagining of Ludwig van Beethoven’s seminal fourth movement of his ninth symphony was originally commissioned by Chromium Music Group as part of their Chromium x Classics, Vol. II release. At the time of composition, I was still reeling from the aftermath of Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union. As a British citizen living on the continent and married to a Swede, I found the result particularly difficult to process, which lead to a period where my impotent rage ended up dictating many of my creative choices. It therefore became obvious that, when presented with a selection of iconic works to reimagine, I would choose the one adopted as the Anthem of Europe.

I approached the task of this arrangement by stripping the work down to its iconic theme and completely reworking the harmonic and rhythmic material. The structure of the piece can be best described as a textural crescendo, whereby the accompanying counterpoint builds in complexity until a final euphoric rendition of the theme. While the final recorded version includes additional electronic elements to reinforce the bass and heighten the climax, the piece was first and foremost composed as a quartet.