Burlington Choral Society

Richard Riley, Artistic Director

Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Choral Fantasy

Artistic Director, Richard Riley, will lead the chorus as they offer a program dedicated entirely to the works of Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Mass in C Major, composed in 1807 with a full orchestral accompaniment, has been newly arranged with pared down instrumentation to let the solo vocal and choral parts shine. With this more modern, intimate performance of the Mass, the 53 voices will speak on Beethoven’s behalf as they highlight his complex beliefs on the fertile ground between the known and unknown.

Composed just one year later, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy features sparkling solo pianist Claire Black, six solo vocalists, strings, and chorus. It sets an ecstatic text that ends, “When love and strength are united, divine grace is bestowed upon man.”

The Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage is an eight-minute-long work based on a pair of poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Beethoven admired the poet, whom he met in 1812, and dedicated this 1815 piece to him. The first section depicts a sailor’s lament of his becalmed ship. The wind picks up before the second section, however, with the crew rejoicing at the continuation of their voyage.

We hope the chorus’s dedication to Beethoven helps shed light on the composer’s desire to tell his audiences who he is. These works will showcase Beethoven’s feelings on existentialism, despair, elation, and hope for mankind.

General Admission: Adults $25, 18 & under free