Beethoven: Mass in C, etc.by Anonymous

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June 12, 2007: This little treasure offers renditions of some of the great Beethoven's lesser- known choral works. These works by the German master have been sadly ignored and forgotten, which is a shame because they are among the great man's most profound and beautiful. This as-perfect-as-possible recording by Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique is careful to bring out the subtleties and magnificent depth of Beethoven in a truly marvellous way. How can one describe the depth of a great man's music in human language? The answer is that you can't, but this recording does just that through Beethoven's astinishingly beautiful music. The choice of the three compositions enclosed in this recording reflect the differences in style which occured at different times and circumstances in Beethoven's life- "Ah! prefido" and the Mass in C Major composed during his so- called second period, and the cantata whose German title means "A Calm Sea and a Prosperous Voyage" written during the introspective third period which occured during the darkest days of his terrible deafness. It is evident in this album that Gardiner and company feel every note of this astonishing music.