A choir named after Beethoven? Admittedly, he didn’t leave behind an extensive choral repertoire. Tristan Meister, director of the Beethoven Choir Ludwigshafen since 2017, set out to explore this question by delving deep into Beethoven’s choral works.
Rocking a child to sleep and singing a calming song is probably one of the most natural forms of music-making of all. And the song of thanks after the day’s work is done, combined with the plea for a peaceful night has had its established place in evening worship for centuries. With a touch of nostalgia, choral director Tristan Meister is now thinking back to many lovely concerts which ended with Rheinberger’s Abendlied, a piece which for him is one of the most touching choral works of the Romantic period. So the hope is all the greater that we might soon be given the green light to sing this wonderful music together again.
Amongst Rheinberger’s 14 mass settings, the Mass in E flat major op. 109 (Cantus Missae) composed in 1878 undoubtedly holds a special position. This mass must, in the opinion of Tristan Meister, count as one of the most important church music compositions of the Romantic period and is worthy of a place in the repertoire of every ambitious choir.
