This Maundy Thursday, we embark on a symphonic journey through darkness and light, doubt and faith, sorrow and resurrection! Missa Solemnis (Solemn Mass) is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s greatest works, both in scale and expression, and with a duration of over 80 minutes, it presents a formidable challenge for choir, orchestra, and soloists alike.
Beethoven rarely stayed within boundaries, and Missa Solemnis is no exception. When working on the mass, he was in the later stages of life, marked by increasing deafness but also more visionary than ever. The work is not only his largest and longest composition, but also one of his most intimate and personal. He inscribed the opening of the Kyrie (a prayer for mercy) with the words: “From the heart—may it go again to the heart!”—and that is exactly what this mass does. Musically, Beethoven looks back to masters such as Palestrina and Bach, yet his expression is more modern, daring, and boundlessly emotional.
The work was composed in parallel with his Symphony No. 9, and like the famous “Ode to Joy” in the symphony’s final movement, Missa Solemnis carries an overwhelming power. But here, it is not the triumph of humanism that takes center stage, but a spiritual quest—a bridge between heaven and earth.