Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest & Mäkelä

With his masterful Missa Solemnis, Beethoven had no small ambitions: “My chief aim was to awaken and permanently instil religious feelings in the singers as well as in the listeners”. He spent no fewer than four years working on this large-scale mass, which he ultimately regarded as his finest work. Written for orchestra, a huge choir and four soloists, the piece is both imposing and monumental, yet also contains moments of sublime tranquillity, such as the slowly unfolding Sanctus. The ethereal violin solo in the Benedictus powerfully evokes the divine and seems to fulfil Beethoven’s intention. The renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Choir, together with star conductor Klaus Mäkelä, will bring this masterpiece to life like no others.