Missa Solemnis is said to be Beethoven’s greatest work, next to his ninth symphony. This Mass was originally written for Austria’s Archduke Rudolph, a student and close friend, an archbishop and later a cardinal. Although we are unsure of Beethoven’s religious beliefs, we do know that the Missa Solemnis was to serve some sort of religious function.

The most complicated and difficult piece written by Beethoven, Missa Solemnis takes the best musicians and vocalists to perform it. The Saint Louis Symphony and the St. Louis Chorus did a spectacular job performing the piece. Four guest soloists, Christine Brewer, Jill Grove, Christopher Pregardien and Richard Zeller phenomenally sang with the chorus. Their vocal ranges and performances were exceptional. Solo pieces are considered most difficult because of the endurance that a musician must have. The instrumentalists behind the vocalists were definitely intriguing.

The Missa Solemnis is composed of five sections that were a traditional part of the Latin Catholic Mass. The Mass would start with the “Kyrie,” next the “Gloria,” the “Credo,” the “Sanctus” and finally the “Agnus Dei.” Since each section of the Mass was sung in Latin, the original language in which it was written, it can sometimes be difficult to follow. The biggest problem with Beethoven’s version of the Mass was that it was approximately 81 minutes long, which is considerably long for a Catholic Mass.

A piece would start soft and peaceful, turn into thundering tympani beats with cello and bass movements and finally turn into a light wave of violins and flutes in the end. Each piece was filled with such different tempos and notes that it kept the audience focused throughout the entire performance.