Beethoven's Ninth for New Year's Eve, performed at the Milan Auditorium by the Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonic Choir of Milan, is a ritual, it is a certainty, as is the Wimbledon tournament for the British, as is the Palio for the Sienese, as the Night of the Oscars for Hollywood. 
A topical moment in which a community meets, punctually, to celebrate itself and, in doing so, looks in the mirror, recognizes itself, and perhaps decides together in which direction to go. 

For the second year, the Ninth is performed by Music Director Tjeknavorian, with his Orchestra and Choir dressed in red. 
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life is a pivotal text by the sociologist Emile Durkheim, from 1912. The fundamental concept is this: the ritual has a social function, which allows the internal bonds of the community to be founded or strengthened.