On Holy Saturday, the LAC presents one of the absolute masterpieces of sacred music: Beethoven’s *Missa solemnis*. I Barocchisti and the Swiss Radio and Television Choir, conducted by Diego Fasolis, bring to life a work of extraordinary intensity, in which the orchestra, choir, and four soloists come together to create a powerful and deeply spiritual musical experience.
Missa Solemnis
I Barocchisti / RSI Choir / Orchestra della Svizzera italiana
Diego Fasolis
© LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura
Missa Solemnis
I Barocchisti / RSI Choir / Orchestra della Svizzera italiana
Diego Fasolis
© LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura
With over 550 recordings, 250 recordings, and an internationally recognized reputation, I Barocchisti—a leading ensemble in the performance of early music on period instruments—and the Swiss Radio and Television Choir, both conducted by Diego Fasolis, represent the very best of Switzerland’s music scene. At the LAC, they will perform the *Missa solemnis*, one of Beethoven’s most sublime and complex works, composed between 1819 and 1823 and considered, alongside Bach’s *Mass in B minor*, the pinnacle of German sacred music.
Originally composed for the investiture of Archduke Rudolf of Austria, the score soon transcended the boundaries of a ceremonial mass to take on a universal dimension, in which the spiritual meaning of the text is translated into a composition of vast proportions. Tradition and modern freedom converge in music of extraordinary power, marked by choral momentum, dramatic tension, and moments of profound introspection.
Guiding this journey is Diego Fasolis, a leading figure in historically informed performance, at the helm of three ensembles that bring one of the most intense masterpieces of the sacred repertoire to the LAC stage.