Search - Hans Sotin, Siegfried Jerusalem, Helen Donath :: Beethoven: Missa Solemnis

Recorded live at the BBC Proms in 1982, this concert was one of the highlights of Soltis final season as LPO Principal Conductor: a memorable performance described by mezzo soprano Doris Soffel upon hearing the master as the conductors love-declaration to Beethoven. The Missa Solemnis is one of Beethovens great works from the height of his composing career: nothing he composed surpasses it for scale, sincerity or sheer vision. Solti had a great affinity with the Missa Solemnis on the concert stage and in recordings. He recorded it twice, once with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1978) and later a live recording with the Berlin Philharmonic (1994), both only currently available digitally or as part of a 25CD (Berlin) or 54CD (Chicago) box set. In this live Proms recording Solti demonstrates his mastery of the large-scale choral genre, and of making the most of the occasion; this performance is full of calming reverence.