Mass in C
Ludwig van Beethoven
A Season with Beethoven – #LvB250
The Mass in C preceded the completion of the Missa solemnis by fifteen years, but the musician’s modern and visionary dimension was already apparent.
Dates
Thomas Hengelbrock direction
Kristian Bezuidenhout pianoforte
Balthasar-Neumann-Chor & Solisten
Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble
First part
Beethoven Coriolan, overture Op. 62
Concerto for piano No. 4
Sung in latin
Approximate running time
1st part: 50mn - Intermission: 20mn - 2nd part: 50mn
The Mass in C dating from the year 1807, was the second liturgical work composed by Beethoven, six years after Christ on the Mount of Olives and fifteen years before the completion of the Missa Solemnis. It is less well known than the Missa and rarely performed today, yet it is not just a preparatory work as it does much more than simply lay down markers for a future work. It is slightly reminiscent of Haydn, but the musical and spiritual aspirations of the composer are already beginning to take shape. The overture to Coriolan and Piano Concerto No. 4 are almost contemporaneous and demonstrate the richness of the years 1806-1807 in which Beethoven also composed the Fourth Symphony, Concerto for violin, and Appassionata sonata. His musical world was expanding and flourishing.
Production Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
