The Arts in New York City
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Where had I heard these words before? Then I remembered. I remembered the vast candle-lit altar; I remembered the overpowering silence; I remembered the priest chanting these same words. He often recited these words, which translate to “Lord have mercy, Christ have Mercy,” right before Mass ended. Hmm. And what exactly was I watching as I heard these same words? Missa Solemnis, or “Solemn Mass.” Interesting.
Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis was performed by the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir at Carnegie Hall, which I must say, was as grand and magnificent as I thought it would be. I passed by Carnegie Hall before (often on my way to get Jamba Juice) and always wondered what it looked like inside. The concert hall was absolutely ginormous. It seemed perfect for acoustics. The seats were extremely comfortable and the view of the stage was perfect as well. I could see every single performer on stage clearly. Thankfully, this time we weren’t all the way in the back!
Although I’m not a musical expert, I loved listening to Missa Solemnis. The combined harmony of the orchestra and the choir sounded so sweet and lovely. I especially enjoyed the vocal ranges of some of the women in the choir because I seldom hear such heavenly high notes.
Missa Solemnis was engaging because its music kept switching from gentle and smooth to wild and harsh. There were moments when the performance sounded dream-like, and other moments when the music was overwhelmingly loud and eccentric. The two opposites complemented each other; when one became boring, the other would surface and again the performance would captivate my interest. It’s interesting that Missa Solemnis was composed during what is considered Beethoven’s Late Period, mostly because a few moments of the music were so dramatic and passionate.
What most stood out during the concert was how hard the performers were working. A few parts of the music were extremely fast-paced; I was shocked that all of the musicians on stage were able to move their hands and arms so swiftly and rapidly in accordance with their sheets of music. I would have never been able to withstand such a harsh workout, and I applaud all of the musicians for moving so remarkably to play such passionate music.
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis was magnificently performed. It was a pleasure to listen to and watch. My only regret was not being able to sit in the front row!
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I also really enjoyed the sweet harmonies of the orchestra. I agree that the orchestra was great at producing dynamics and a wide range of expressions. However, I felt that the overall structure of “Missa Solemnis” was a little boring. This is probably due to the fact that most of the piece was mellow and really slow. As a result, it was really easy to fall asleep to. However, “Missa Solemnis” was composed with a mass and religious objective, which probably explains why the composition seemed so sublime, but slow. The one movement that I felt was unique was Sanctus in that it portrayed a deeper and richer sounding texture than the other movements. Most of the instruments played during this movement were the lower ones such as cello. Additionally, the chorus singers were silenced for the most part as well, which was different. Also in this movement, it abruptly becomes faster paced and the tempo shifts numerous time, which helped keep my attention. In the end, the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique’s performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis” was a pleasurable and relaxing experience, and like you mentioned, the musician’s collaboration and communication with each other was incredible and definitely an astonishing sight!