Messe C-dur Op.86 - CD

Ludwig van Beethoven: Messe C-dur Op.86 version on CD in Standard edition. This particular edition was published in Europe in publishing company Musicom on 24. March 2022.

Markus Gotthardt on his arrangement of the Mass in C major Adaptations of Beethoven's works have a long tradition. In the educated and music-loving 19th century, interest in "big music" for "small ensembles" was widespread. Since adequately strong orchestras were not available everywhere, symphonies and other large-scale works could only be heard while playing the piano - which only very experienced pianists could do - or if one had the opportunity to play or listen to them together with other music enthusiasts in a chamber setting. The "modern" arrangement naturally stems from other motives, in this case the impossibility of performing the C major Mass in its original form with a full symphony orchestra and large choir in the pandemic era. In spring 2020, during the first lockout, Paderborn Dommusik therefore came up with the idea of creating an arrangement of the Mass itself. What at first glance does not seem so complicated (the string section remains intact, the winds move to the piano) quickly turns out to be very complex. The arrangement of the symphony orchestra movement for piano quintet presents the arranger with a tonal challenge from the outset. Beethoven's masterfully elaborate instrumentation requires tonal reconstruction, which eventually leads to leaving almost no stone unturned - it is practically an instrumental reconstruction. The task and stated aim was not to create a movement akin to a piano lift, but to adapt it to the tonal idiom of the piano and string quartet. The result, of course, is the loss of a certain orchestral weight and 'creaminess', but in return a high degree of transparency, rhythmic flexibility, virtuosity and intimacy emerges. It is well known that Beethoven was not a great friend of arrangements of his works. Economic reasons may have played a part (copyright had not yet been invented), but one hopes that - all things considered - he would have given the arranger and performers an appreciative smile for this version!

Album spans genres Classical and Romantic.