“Symphonies are the best representation of my true self,” said Beethoven. “I always seem to hear within me the sounds of a great orchestra.” Over a span of 18 days, the conductor Gianandrea Noseda leads the National Symphony Orchestra in all nine Beethoven symphonies. Five consecutive programs pair the symphonies as follows: 1&3, 2&5, 4&7, 6&8, with the monumental 9th going solo. The first four programs also include an overture each: The Creatures of Prometheus, Leonore No. 3, Egmont, and Coriolan. —L.J.