MUSIC

In London, on Sunday, American conductor Lorin Maazel led three different orchestras (the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra) in all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies in a single day. Music lovers crowded into London’s Royal Festival Hall on the banks of the Thames River to hear the symphonies performed by three orchestras in five concerts. Maazel, one of the world’s top conductors, agreed to the marathon to raise money for charities, including the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children. “Conducting in concert the six hours and 40 minutes of music in the nine symphonies over a 12-hour period . . . is for me an inspiring, energizing and thrilling experience,” Maazel said.