Beethoven: Mass in C

Featuring

Sir Colin Davis
Sally Matthews
Sara Mingardo
John Mark Ainsley
Alastair Miles
London Symphony Orchestra

London Symphony Chorus
Ludwig van Beethoven

Did you know?

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Critical Reception

The premiere of Beethoven's Mass in C did not go well, with Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II calling the music "unbearably ridiculous and detestable."

Composition History

Beethoven's Mass in C was commissioned in 1807 by Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II, who annually commissioned a new mass for his wife's name-day.

Performer Biography

Sir Colin Davis, the conductor on this album, was the London Symphony Orchestra's Principal Conductor from 1995 to 2006 and became its first President since Leonard Bernstein in 2007.

Compositional Technique

Beethoven claimed that in the Mass in C he had "treated the text in a manner in which it has rarely been treated," which may have perplexed Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II.

Recording & Production

This album includes a live recording of the Prisoners' Chorus from Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, which was recorded in May 2006 at the Barbican, London.