ConcertPulse
Beethoven: Missa solemnis / Thomas Hengelbrock
Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
Ludwig van Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« is a superlative work. The technical and physical demands on the orchestra and choir as well as the conductors, who must be experienced in both fields, are tremendous – which almost predestines Thomas Hengelbrock, and his intimately familiar Balthasar Neumann Choir and Orchestra he established, for this performance. The performers are assisted by an acoustically powerful line-up of top-class soloists. »From the heart – may it return to the heart« noted Beethoven about the score of his »Missa solemnis« and considered it »the most successful of his creations«. It is the most personal confrontation with his faith and translates an understanding of God shaped by enlightenment and humanism into music. Not by chance, for instance, did it emerge at the same time as his famous Symphony No. 9 with its »Ode to Joy« – and, like this, is a plea to humanity.