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Tickets still available for the Thursday, 18 October performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis

As part of a natural progression exploring the great choral works, Paul McCreesh and Gabrieli Consort & Players open the 2007/08 season with Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.   Featured will be a performance at the Barbican Centre, London, this Thursday, 18 October as part of the Great Performers’ Series, with international soloists Susan Gritton, Christianne Stotijn, Werner Güra, and Neal Davies.  Click here to book through the Barbican box office or call on 0845 120 7543.

A masterpiece of symphonic proportions, Missa Solemnis is a unique and very personal testament to the Beethoven's own religious beliefs.  It remains one of the great pinnacles of sacred music.

In his later years, Beethoven referred to the Missa Solemnis as his finest work, and it is widely considered to be one of his greatest musical achievements.  Bass soloist, Neal Davies, gives us an insight into preparing and performing this work:

I suppose I have to declare my bias straight away and say that in my opinion the Beethoven Missa Solemnis is the single greatest choral piece ever written. It is one of those rare works that transcends the normal confines of choral, solo and orchestral writing and leaves one with the feeling of being in the presence of something greater and more profound than mere music.

Of course it makes huge demands on all the forces involved, but at the same time, for the soloists, contains music that requires a chamber-like intimacy, almost at the level of string quartet writing. It is a piece I have performed six or seven times before, including a very memorable tour with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.  But this is the first time I have performed it with original instruments, which I must say is a particular treat as the sonorities, particularly in the brass and woodwind are unbeatable in a ‘period’ orchestra.

Paul McCreesh and I have spoken about this work for years whilst working on other projects and I've been longing to perform it with the Gabrielis; they bring such extraordinary passion to everything they play and I know Paul feels a similar way about this piece.  In the last three months we have done three performances around the world and each time we have had a fairly intensive rehearsal period in London in advance, mainly due to cast changes, but each time the quartet of soloists has been utterly blown away by not only the superhuman singing and playing of the chorus and orchestra, but also by the piece itself!

Tickets for Thursday are still available through the Barbican box office online or on 0845 120 7543.


Additional performances of Missa Solemnis were heard at the Brinkburn Festival, Northumberland in July; Wratislavia Cantans Festival, Wroclaw, Poland in September; and Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Austria (16 October).  On Friday, 19 October, Missa Solemnis can be heard at La Salle Pleyel in Paris.