On tour: Beethoven’s Missa solemnis

With our chief conductor designate Klaus Mäkelä, we are storming the heavens with Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. When we think of Beethoven, we don’t usually think of religious music, but this Mass hits the mark – and is proof that Bach did not have the last word in this genre. Everything about the work is impressive: the grandiose instrumentation, the thrilling interplay between chorus and orchestra, and the spiritual intensity that can move even the most dyed-in-the-wool atheist. Beethoven worked on the Mass for four years and considered it to be his best work.

Beethoven was not a religious person. Indeed, the Missa solemnis is not about submission, but about faith in humanity. As in the celebrated Ninth Symphony, which dates from the same period, Beethoven expresses in this work his wish for a dignified existence for all people. It’s a message which is still very relevant today and makes the Missa solemnis a timeless masterpiece.