ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE
Piano concerto No. 4 op. 58
Missa in C op.86
Robin Johanssen soprano
Sophie Harmsen alto
Benjamin Hullett tenor
Samuel Hasselhorn bass
Kristian Bezuidenhout pianoforte
Collegium Vocale Gent choir
Orchestre des Champs-Elysées orchestra
Philippe Herreweghe conductor
“Beethoven’s mass is insufferably ridiculous and hideous. I am furious and ashamed,” wrote Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy II in a letter to Countess Zielinska. Commissioned by the prince, the deeply religious Beethoven first ventured into composing a five-part mass for soloists, choir and orchestra in 1807. Too little rehearsal time plummets the first performance in Eisenstadt’s court chapel. Moreover, Beethoven touches on the identity of church music in his Missa in C: it is not the external display of the liturgy but the emotionally charged mass text itself that is central. Depth of content and honest directness – vintage Beethoven – are paramount in this rarely performed masterpiece that seems born for the concert hall!