Organization

Conductor

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Singer

Soprano

Marlis Petersen

Mezzo-soprano

Elisabeth Kulman

Tenor

Werner Güra

Bass

Gerald Finley

Het Concertgebouw

Orchestra

Concertgebouworkest

Others

Groot Omroepkoor

Missa solemnis in D major, op. 123

Amsterdam

Netherlands

The Missa solemnis by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is - apart from his opera "Leonore" and "Fidelio" - the most extensive work by the master. The magnificent composition for soloists, chorus and orchestra was composed between 1819 and 1823, around the same period as the Ninth Symphony, and represented a great challenge for Beethoven, which he accepted with enthusiasm. At the beginning of the score Beethoven wrote: "From the heart - may it go back to the heart!"

The Austrian musician Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1929-2016) came from a noble family in Luxembourg and Lorraine. He studied cello and initially worked as a cellist with the Wiener Symphoniker. But historical performance practice interested him more than orchestral service: in 1953 he founded the ensemble "Concentus Musicus Wien" with his wife Alice and dealt intensively with early music. Harnoncourt, a pioneer of original sound, showed the amazed audience how exciting works of the Renaissance and Baroque can sound. Over the years he expanded his repertoire and, at the podium of "modern" orchestras, devoted himself to classical symphonies, but also to the Viennese waltz and stage works by Johann Strauss, Richard Wagner, Jacques Offenbach and George Gershwin. In 2012 he was made an officer in the French Legion of Honor and awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society London. In 2014 he received the Echo Klassik for his life's work.

The Amsterdam-based Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest is one of the leading orchestras in the world. A critics' survey by the British music magazine "Gramophone" put it at the top of all symphony orchestras worldwide. Around 1000 recordings document the high quality of his performances. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 1988, Queen Beatrix bestowed the title "Royal" on the orchestra.

Missa Solemnis Beethoven

Public

Approved

Fotod