ABeethoven's Symphony No.9 performed as a year-end concert has become an annual event since around 1970. Said to be a symphony with a chorus, it is performed with a full orchestra with fom vocal soloists and a large choir. It is a magnificent symphony both in music and in the grandem of the sight. There is no Japanese who is not familiar with the chorus part of the symphony. The music deeply affects classical music fans, but because it is such a large-scale undertaking, it is not pe1formed very often in the West.

This piece ties in nicely with a kind of a pervasive restlessness felt throughout the country stemming from the year coming to an end and the bustling mood in the city.

The ninth is performed in a variety of places as more and more symphony orchestras are formed throughout Japan. Holding this concert has become an indispensable means of raising fund to pay for the musicians ' year-end bonus.

The festival-loving Japanese are not content just to listen to the ninth. Many dream of singing as a member of the choir. Non-professional choirs throughout Japan in succession plan concerts to perform the ninth.

The ninth can be held on a number of pretexts such as using a portion of the proceeds for charity. There are now many people who feel something amiss with the year-end mood without hearing the ninth.