Missa solemnis in D major, op. 123 by Beethoven, Violin Concerto No. 4 in G major, Hob. VIIa/4 by Haydn, lr. 09 api. 2022, Noiztik (2022/2022), Zuzendaria John DeMain, Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, United States

Yes, Mozart was his inspiration, but Haydn was Beethoven’s teacher. Concertmaster Naha Greenholtz performs the Violin Concerto in G major. A great work from the height of Beethoven’s composing career, the monumental Missa Solemnis is one of his supreme achievements and one of the most significant Latin Mass settings ever penned. The muse, the mass, and the money. The sentiments in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis appeal to humankind’s highest aspirations, but Beethoven’s business dealings with it were decidedly earthbound. He sold the work seven times. While haggling with the publisher Simrock, Beethoven not only hung onto the fee he had received but wrote to six other firms promising the Mass to them. When Simrock wanted their money back, Beethoven promised another Mass, but never got around to writing it. – Norman Gilliland