Beethoven: Missa Solemnis in D Major, Op. 123

The incomparable Harnoncourt takes up the Classical master’s solemn mass. Twenty-three years after his monumental 1993 recording of Missa Solemnis for Teldec, Harnoncourt returns to the singular work on Sony Classical’s label. Curated specifically to be his final major performance series, which he gave at the Salzburg Festival and the Styriarte Festival Graz in 2015, his intuitive and affectionate reading of Beethoven’s great mass is perhaps even more moving and profound in this new interpretation. “Sanctus” rings with tenderness and ecstasy, while “Kyrie” showcases Beethoven’s divine lyricism via the precision of both the soloists and the acclaimed Arnold Schoenberg Chor.