Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123

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This may not be the finest performance of Beethoven's most forbidding work on disc, but it certainly ranks with the best...Eschenbach is his own man. In his hands, the work is more questioning... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2012, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 26th Mar 2012
Catalogue No: LPO0061
Label: LPO
Length: 80 minutes

Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123

Work length1:20:18

Album only

Christoph Eschenbach, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Anne Schwanewilms, Annette Jahns, Nikolai Schukoff, Dietrich Henschel, London Philharmonic Choir

I. Kyrie

Track length10:00

$1.40

$1.95

$2.40

II. Gloria

Track length17:08

Album only

III. Credo

Track length19:45

Album only

IV. Sanctus

Track length16:56

Album only

V. Agnus Dei

Track length16:29

Album only

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Beethoven had little liking for organised religion, but he was deeply spiritual, believing in God as an all-powerful, loving Father. The awesome, sublime Missa Solemnis is one of his supreme achievements, which he headed ‘From the heart – may it in turn go to the heart!’ In this live concert recording, the fervour of Beethoven’s vision is powerfully realised by conductor Christoph Eschenbach with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir.

Christoph Eschenbach has a longstanding association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and this release adds to critically acclaimed recording of Bruckner Symphony No. 6 (LPO0049) released in 2011.

A prolific recording artist over five decades, Christoph Eschenbach has recorded as both a conductor and a pianist on labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony/BMG, Decca, Ondine, Warner and Koch. His Ondine recording of the music of Kaija Saariaho with the Orchestre de Paris and soprano Karita Mattila won the 2009 MIDEM Classical Award for Contemporary Music.

The stellar quartet of soloists includes the great lyric soprano Anne Schwanewilms, who enjoys an unparalleled reputation for her performances of Strauss and Wagner, and tenor Nikolai Schukoff who is destined to become a leading voice of his generation.

Reviews

June 2012

This may not be the finest performance of Beethoven's most forbidding work on disc, but it certainly ranks with the best...Eschenbach is his own man. In his hands, the work is more questioning than devout, though it has passages of unbridled jubilation...The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir are on top form...And the soloists - not all familiar names - make a great team.

August 2012

Eschenbach scores with the finely shaped phrasing of his violas and cellos in the introduction to the 'Gratias agimus' and the delicate woodwind entry lead-in to 'Qui tollis'

July 2012

Eschenbach delivers some old school Beethoven here...Eschenbach has a long-standing relationship with the LPO. The orchestra is able to deliver exactly what he asks of them. He likes big, round sounds from the strings and woodwinds, which is exactly what the players produce...It's good, but I suspect the live experience was more fulfilling.

12th April 2012

the performance has [Eschenbach's] trademark fondness for sonic beauty. Surprisingly, for a conductor often associated with slowish speeds, it's also uptempo and volatile. There's real elation in the outer sections of Gloria and Credo and the Agnus Dei...There's fire and commitment in the choral singing and playing, and apart from Annette Jahns's occasionally plummy alto, the soloists are superb.

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123

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