BEETHOVEN: MISSA SOLEMNIS

MASTERWORKS 6: BEETHOVEN MISSA SOLEMNIS Friday, March 12 & Saturday, March 13, 2027 About his Missa Solemnis, Beethoven said, “My chief aim was to awaken and permanently instill spiritual feelings not only in the singers but in the listeners.” The work took four years to complete, though he was working on several other important projects — such as his final three piano sonatas and his Ninth Symphony — concurrently. The composer took a “solemn mass,” and because he was Beethoven, what could be a traditional, liturgical piece is transformed beneath his hands into an incredibly expressive, larger-than-life work of art. The exploration within Missa Solemnis is vast; the listener can contemplate war and peace, prayer and turmoil, brotherhood and strife, humanity and higher power, realism and idealism. The range and stamina required of the vocalists and chorus are demanding throughout. You don’t want to miss this seldom performed and challenging work of music and voices! PROGRAM Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Missa Solemnis ARTISTS Ken-David Masur, Conductor Vocalists To Be Announced Charleston Symphony Chorus (Nicholas Quardokus, Director) College of Charleston Concert Choir NOTEWORTHY Ken-David Masur is Music Director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Chicago Symphony’s Civic Orchestra, and Artistic Partner of the Oregon Bach Festival. Masur has conducted distinguished orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic; the Baltimore, Detroit, and San Francisco Symphonies; l’Orchestre National de France; Minnesota Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and the National Symphony. He has also made regular appearances at Ravinia, Tanglewood, the Hollywood Bowl, Grant Park, and international festivals. The San Diego Union-Tribune described Masur as “fearless, bold, and a life-force.”