We often stopped breathing so breathtaking was this performance.
COPIED FROM THE DISNEY CONCERT HALL WEBSITE
Gustavo Dudamel brings together the massive choral and orchestral forces and even grander musical ideas of Beethoven’s Missa solemnis. “From my heart, may it go to the heart,” Beethoven wrote at the top of his “Solemn Mass,” and privately he told friends he believed it to be his best composition. Yet, the epic, near-90-minute testament of Beethoven’s faith grounded in human and Rationalist spirituality is a rarity in concert halls because of its ambitious scale, leading Beethoven biographer Jan Swafford to call it “one of the greatest pieces never heard.” With a stellar cast of soloists and 125 voices from Barcelona’s Orfeó Català chorus, Dudamel navigates the shifting landscapes of Beethoven’s transcendent and revelatory masterwork.
A note from Gustavo Dudamel
The Missa Solemnis is, for me, the holy grail of the symphonic repertoire. At its core, it is about faith—faith in something greater than ourselves. Beethoven had to invent a new musical architecture for his solemn mass, and each time I look at the score I find a new room. The piece itself is incredibly difficult, with almost impossible requirements for singers, for orchestra, and for chorus, which creates this overwhelming feeling. It makes me believe in another dimension of greatness and beauty.
This weekend marks my first time conducting the Missa Solemnis. Often conductors will wait until they have reached a certain level of maturity and expertise before they perform it. Some are still waiting. After 17 years of this fruitful artistic relationship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, I felt that now was a perfect time to attempt it together, along with our four extremely talented soloists and two choruses.
As musicians, we are often asked which works are our favorite or what is the best. It’s difficult to say. But we do know that Beethoven considered this his greatest accomplishment, and that is remarkable. —Gustavo Dudamel
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After the concert we walked over to the Conrad Hotel bar area across the street from the DCH to take that first picture. We also found a restaurant on the ground level that was tasty, comfortable, and didn’t break the bank. And then leaving the parking structure was a breeze.
What I do every time these days. (“No, you won’t remember”.)
