It’s upon us: The 200th anniversary of the premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op. 125, with its heaven-storming choral finale. Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic celebrate with a series of four performances. (Scoring tickets will take some doing.) Though the orchestra wasn’t founded until 15 years after the first of the composer’s three funerals (long story), none can claim a deeper connection to his music. With Muti on the podium, ageless at 82, expect a performance for the ages, written in fire. —Matthew Gurewitsch