hr-Sinfonieorchester

„Complete detachment from the earth“ – this is what Beethoven's secretary observed when he was working on his greatest work of church music. A mass so complex, so idiosyncratic, so extremely artificial. And yet a work that – according to Beethoven – came „from the heart“ and was intended to „touch the heart“.

A pious wish, noted by the composer himself on the score. For a long time, this line contradicted what one thought one could hear in this mass that broke all boundaries: namely, pure, almost superhuman artistic ambition. But the approach to this radically demanding major work has changed in recent decades, thanks in part to conductors such as Hugh Wolff. Around 2000, during his time as Music Director of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, he established a completely new, transparent and fresh classical sound in Frankfurt, as well as knowledge of historically informed performance practice. Wolff and the orchestra are able to present Beethoven in an exciting new way that is understandable and transparent. This is exactly what is needed for a work as significant as the „Missa solemnis“. (hr-Sinfonieorchester)