For the second of his two programs this season with the NSO, Günther Herbig has chosen music by two of the “Great Three Bs of Music,” Bach and Beethoven (Brahms is the third). Bach’s Double Violin Concerto, always an audience favorite, provides the opportunity for the NSO’s two concertmasters to shine in a solo work. After intermission comes Beethoven’s Ninth – THE Ninth. So extraordinary is this titanic masterpiece that it can be called simply “the Ninth,” without even mentioning its composer. In its grandeur, elemental power, cosmic scope and affirmation of the universal human spirit, the Ninth embraces a world of emotional expression ranging from deep pathos to exultant joy, from demonic fury to seraphic tranquility, from motoric energy to beatific stasis. It speaks volumes to every listener, and no matter how often heard, remains eternally capable of self-renewal.