The 3rd Hamburg International Music Festival is opened by Thomas Hengelbrock, the choirs of the Bayerische Rundfunk and the NDR, a number of renowned soloists and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra performing the work Beethoven considered to be his greatest: the Missa solemnis.

The composer had originally intended to write a solemn mass to mark the occasion of the enthronement of his patron Archduke Rudolph as the Archbishop of Olomouc. However, Beethoven had only finished the Kyrie by the designated date. From that point on, any connection to a specific occasion or to liturgical specifications is lost. The work became Beethoven’s most personal reflection on questions of faith and it shares more than just chronological proximity with his Ninth Symphony, which features a final chorus that spans all humanity.

As he prepared to compose his own mass, Beethoven studied the works of his predecessors, researched the »sacred melodies of the monks« and reflected on »true sacred music«. Beethoven’s declared aim was now »to awaken and permanently instil religious feelings in both singers and listeners«. It is in this spirit that he writes the now famous instruction in one place on the score: »From the heart may it return to the heart!«

In 1823, three years after the planned date, the solemn mass was finally completed. By then the composer had moved away from remaining tied to a church setting. The mass could also be performed in a concert hall as an oratorio, he wrote in a letter to Goethe. Beethoven’s monumental work still poses huge challenges for performers, with the soloists and choir pushed to their limits. read less