Le Cercle de l'Harmonie performs the Missa Solemnis using period instruments, which they believe allows them to express Beethoven's original conception and message as closely as possible.
Composition History
The Missa Solemnis took Beethoven over four years to complete, instead of the initially planned six months, resulting in a work colossal in scale.
Interpretation
Conductor Jérémie Rhorer believes that the interpretation of the Missa Solemnis fundamentally depends on tempo choices, which he feels have been influenced by post-Romantic aesthetics.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Beethoven deliberately transformed the Mass into a "drama of the soul" (Seelendrama), aiming to provide access to the highest levels of spirituality and transcendence.
Notable Performances
The complete Missa Solemnis premiered in St. Petersburg on April 7, 1824, because censorship in Vienna forbade performing Masses in public concerts.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Beethoven inscribed a wish on the first page of the Missa Solemnis manuscript: "From the heart, may it also touch the heart in return," indicating his chosen aesthetic of human feeling.
Composition History
Beethoven began composing the Missa Solemnis in March 1819 to celebrate the enthronement of his patron and pupil, Archduke Rudolf, as Archbishop of Olmütz.
You might also enjoy...
Schubert: Mass No. 5 in A-Flat Major, D. 678
Beethoven: Missa Solemnis [Gemini Series]
Bruckner : Te Deum & Verdi : Te Deum
Beethoven: Missa solemnis; Mass Op. 86
Schubert: Masses
Schubert: 3 Masses - Tantum Ergo - Offertorium
Bruckner: The Masses
Beethoven: Large Choral Works
Schubert: Mass In G Major, D. 167; Tantum Ergo In E Flat Major, D. 962; The 23. Psalm In A Flat Major, D. 706, Op. Posth. 132 / Schumann: Requiem For Mignon, Op. 98b
Schubert: Messe No. 6 en mi bémol majeur, D. 950
Schubert: Mass in E flat major D950
Janacek: Glagolitic Mass / Kodaly: Psalmus Hungaricus
