New York Philharmonic: Gilbert Conducts At Njpac

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
Beethoven called Missa Solemnis "the greatest work I have ever composed," and it's easy to see why. Written at the same time as his "Ode to Joy" Ninth Symphony, Missa Solemnis is one of the greatest choral works in all of music (alongside Verdi's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, the Bach B-Minor Mass, and the Brahms Requiem), a sprawling Everest of a work, huge in its conception, with choral writing so ambitious that singers still struggle to meet its demands. Beethoven was always storming heaven-and by the time the soprano soloist and concertmaster soar together in a luminous duet in the Benedictis near the end of the Missa Solemnis, it seems as though the clouds part, and heaven is right there. This is Beethoven at the very height of his noble powers-and what better way to experience this rarely performed work than in the hands of the New York Philharmonic and its vibrant new musical director, Alan Gilbert, in his NJPAC debut.
Please note that there are no discounts for this performance.June