Beethoven 250 – Beethoven Mass in C major and Symphony No.4 with the BBC Philharmonic

Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony is sometimes overshadowed by the unsurpassable Third (see 6 February) and the dah-dah-dah-dah familiarity of the Fifth, but this is a major work by a composer in the thick of one of his most creative periods. Premiered the same year, the Mass in C major was described as ‘unbearably ridiculous’ by the Hungarian prince who financed its creation, an unbearably ridiculous verdict on a work that bridges the church and the concert hall better than almost any other. In association with the Dresden Music Festival, tonight’s concert brings together the BBC Philharmonic, the Dresden Chamber Choir and four outstanding international soloists under the baton of Omer Meir Wellber.