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Experience Ludwig van Beethoven at his very best!

THE FAITH IN HUMANITY AND THE UNIFYING POWER OF MUSIC

Together with outstanding musicians in Ensemble Allegria and conductor Grete Pedersen, the Solo Choir performs the magnificent Missa Solemnis - the work Beethoven himself referred to as his very best.

In the Missa Solemnis, it is Beethoven's fundamental belief in the unifying power of music that shines through. It is not religious humility that is conveyed, but faith in humanity. The work is deeply personal and in the score he writes: "From the heart - may it again - go to the heart".

FOTO: Det Norske Solistkor/Sigrid Traasdahl

Work on the Missa Solemnis began in 1819. Beethoven had great ambitions and wanted to complete the work for a solemn occasion the following year. But it quickly became more demanding than what the composer had imagined and the Missa Solemnis was not completed until four years later.

The Missa Solemnis is performed here in Joachim Linckelmann's edited chamber version with fewer wind instruments than in the original score. The piece makes such great demands on the performers that it is performed undeservedly rarely.