Deafness couldn't stop Beethoven. His Ninth Symphony, finished by 1824, premiered to acclaim. It remains a symbol of unity. Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, often called the “Choral Symphony,” was composed between 1822 and 1824, premiering in Vienna on May 7, 1824. The period was one of political turmoil following the Napoleonic Wars, and the symphony’s message was one of aspirational unity. It was a groundbreaking work, most notably for being the first major symphony to incorporate a chor