It has been a while since performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Chorale" have become a common event in the month of December, and this year in the Kanto area, a total of 71 concerts were held, with 48 performances by professional orchestras (orchestras belonging to the Association of Japanese Symphony Orchestras plus small professional ensembles which put on performances regularly, with choirs mostly amateur) and 23 performances by entirely amateur ensembles. In the Kansai area, there were 26 professional concerts, and 11 concerts by amateur orchestras.

The days which had the most performances in a day were December 15 with concerts in 7 venues in Kanto, and on the 21st with 4 in the Kansai area.

In addition to these, there were some performances with the piano and other special productions, which show that this year’s December again provided a variety of performances of this symphony. There were some unique projects such as “Symphony No. 9 by 10000 Performers” in the Kansai area, and in Tokyo there was an event organized by Hotel Okura in which the members paid a fee to participate in a concert after rehearsing 20 times, and included in this package was a one night stay at the hotel on the evening prior to the performance and a “Banquet of Joy” held after the concert.
(data on the performances from “Bravo”)