KYRIE from Mass in C Major, Op. 86

Beethoven composed his Opus 86 Mass in C Major in 1807, during the same period in which he composed the fourth, fifth and sixth symphonies and the “Appassionata” sonata for piano. Many of the works from his middle-period (1802-1812) are in a decidedly grand or “heroic” style. However, Beethoven’s Mass in C is more conservative and restrained, especially when compared to his gigantic and often explosive Missa Solemnis, composed over 15 years later.

While the Mass in C is often serene and reserved, particularly in its opening Kyrie section, it also contains signature elements of Beethoven’s more overt and unrestrained expressive style: sudden (even shocking) dynamic changes, intensely emotional harmonic excursions, and a detailed and idiosyncratic approach to articulation and phrasing. The result is a masterpiece of balanced emotional content and musical integrity. At the same time, its more conservative nature makes it accessible to a wider range of performers and performance situations than his later choral master-works, the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony.

This new performance edition by Steven Paxton clarifies numerous dynamic, expression, articulation, and phrase markings, and ‘fine-tunes’ many phrase endings in the choral parts in order to facilitate the rehearsal process.

DURATION: 4:30