26 March 2027 marks the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death. In 2027 it also happens to be Good Friday. How can one do justice to both occasions? We are therefore moving our traditional Passion Concert to Maundy Thursday, 25 March 2027. To commemorate Beethoven requires the right work: we quickly agreed that it had to be his own “high mass”, and liturgically it would have been out of place on Good Friday.

Thus, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Op. 123, will be performed this evening with an international cast of soloists and two of Germany’s finest choirs, the radio choirs of WDR and BR.

Beethoven regarded his Missa solemnis as his greatest work, even above the Ninth Symphony. It is demanding to perform, challenging to hear, and a profoundly moving profession of faith. Within it, the composer explores his search for the divine and his relationship with a church that often felt unfamiliar to him. At the same time, the Mass remains a work of striking contemporary relevance: a quiet yet urgent plea for peace in a world that continues to be shaken by conflict.