Beethoven’s Missa solemnis is one of his most monumental works, composed in his final years alongside the Ninth Symphony. Written for soloists, choir and orchestra, it goes beyond the confines of liturgical music, taking voices and instruments to the limits of their expressive range. Jordi Savall, who has previously recorded the work and taken it on tour across Europe, conducts Le Concert des Nations and La Capella Nacional de Catalunya. The soloists are Lina Johnson, Olivia Vermeulen, Martin Platz and Manuel Walser. A major event in the bicentenary celebrations marking the composer’s death.
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Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras founded Le Concert des Nations in 1989. This distinctive period-instrument orchestra recreates the performance practices of the time when the music was composed.
Beethoven originally composed the Missa solemnis for the appointment of Archduke Rudolf of Austria as archbishop in 1820, but failed to complete it in time. The work was finished three years later.
In a letter written in 1822, with almost a year still to go before completing the work, Beethoven described it as his greatest achievement.
In 2026, Jordi Savall was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of classical music. It recognises a career spanning more than five decades, dedicated to recovering and sharing musical heritage.
