Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is 200 years old

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was played in Vienna for its 200th anniversary. Beethoven's masterpiece was first played on the 7th of May, 1824. A woman who sang in the choir told the BBC: "It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love." She said: "You're lifted up…when you're singing."

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. The fourth movement is called Ode to Joy. A version of this is the anthem of the European Union. The Ode represents peace and international understanding. The singer in the choir said Beethoven's Ninth "moves from the darkness to the light".