Ludwig van Beethoven »Missa solemnis« D major op. 123

Beethoven’s Mass of Extremes

»From the heart – may it go – to the heart again!« This dedication was inscribed by Beethoven in his manuscript of the »Missa solemnis,« a work that has divided opinion ever since – not least because of its exceptional length by Beethoven’s standards. Music philosopher Theodor W. Adorno called it his »alienated masterwork,« finding it so enigmatic that it scarcely seemed recognizable as a Beethoven piece at all. For Clara Schumann, however, that very quality was what made the music so extraordinary. She described the Mass as »the most colossal of all works… music as if written by a god not for mortals, but for gods; for one can scarcely grasp it«.

Making the Unfathomable Heard

Under the baton of Kirill Petrenko, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin will attempt to make the incomprehensible comprehensible – or perhaps simply to overwhelm the audience with Beethoven’s music. Performances take place both at the Philharmonie Berlin and on tour at the Salzburg Easter Festival.