'Missa Solemnis' on the World Stage

BEETHOVEN: MISSA SOLEMNIS
Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Gulbenkian Choir
John Nelson, conductor

A musical treasure
Writes author Jan Swafford, "The Missa Solemnis may be the greatest piece never heard", noting the work's quiet life in the shadow of the better-known Ninth Symphony. Soli Deo Gloria's forthcoming production promises to shine a supreme light on Beethoven's choral masterpiece and meet the lofty intent of the composer who once commented, "My chief aim when I was composing this grand Mass was to awaken and permanently instill religious feelings, not only in the singers, but also in the listeners."

Whereas Bach scales the highest heights of pure liturgical music with a certain objectivity in his B minor Mass, Beethoven takes a far more personal journey addressing the same text in his Missa Solemnis. Both are Mt. Everest experiences, daunting to say the least. We gratefully conquered the B Minor Mass in a beautiful DVD several years ago. Now it is our privilege to climb the Beethoven mountain...

- John Nelson conductor and SDG Artistic Director

An all-star cast

The Missa Solemnis will be brought to life in grand fashion on February 17 and 18, 2010, in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Gulbenkian Grand Auditorium. Renowned conductor John Nelson will lead one of the world’s greatest orchestras, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, along with the Gulbenkian Choir and celebrated soloists Tamara Wilson, Meredith Arwady, Nikolai Schukoff and Alastair Miles.

An audience of millions

Soli Deo Gloria is pleased to partner with Medici Arts and Ideale Audience in bringing the Missa Solemnis to an audience of millions through state-of-the-art media technology. First, the February 18, 2010 performance will be broadcast worldwide from Lisbon, live and free of charge, via the Internet. Medici continues to redefine the power of web video for viewers around the world, as they did earlier this month with a live broadcast of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony conducted by John Nelson at the St. Denis Festival in France. This performance is now available in its entirety as video-on-demand at http://www.medici.tv/#/performance/585/ and will remain free through July 31, 2009. The February 2010 Missa Solemnis performance will likewise be featured on medici.tv as video-on-demand and will be subsequently released worldwide on DVD.

A trilogy of masterworks

Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis is the first of three sacred masterworks thus scheduled for sponsorship, broadcast and DVD production. Subsequent installments include Haydn's The Creation and Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Stay tuned for details.