Palace Concerts
Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España
Sarah Wegener soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl alto
Maximilian Schmitt tenor
Ashley Riches bass
David Afkham conductor
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Missa solemnis, in D major, Op. 123 (1819-23)
Concert without intermission
Sacred Beethoven
Beethoven did not write many religious works, but among them is one of the most majestic creations ever to come from his hand, the Missa solemnis, a score that should have been used for the investiture ceremony as Archbishop of Olomouc of Archduke Rudolph of Austria, son of Emperor Leopold II and devoted disciple of the composer. Beethoven began working on it in 1819, but he did not accomplish it on time for the planned ceremony, which took place in the spring of 1820, so the premiere was delayed until 1824. Thus, the work ended up sharing efforts with those that the musician dedicated to his last three piano sonatas and his Ninth Symphony. The National Orchestra and Choir of Spain, led by David Afkham, return to Granada to represent this authentic cathedral of sound, one of the undisputed all-time milestones of the sacred repertoire.
