The extreme difficulties inherent in performing Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (which the very first performers complained about at an 1824 Vienna rehearsal) include Beethoven's imposing high notes for both the vocal soloists and members of the chorus. As he did in the final movement of his Ninth Symphony (the "Ode to Joy"), Beethoven was reaching for the Divine throughout his Solemn Mass, and there is no doubt that, in the right hands, true musical divinity is reached. We are very near perfection in this glorious 1986 performance, preserved for posterity in all its digital glory. Conductor Michael Gielen leads the superb Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra and Prague Philharmonic Choir, along with an excellent quartet of soloists: soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson, alto Marjana Lipovsek, tenor Josef Protschka, and bass Kurt Rydl. The 500-year-old, gothic-style Amandus Church in Bad Urach, Germany, where this "Missa Solemnis" was filmed makes a striking and solemn backdrop to this often joyful music. The DVD's extras are plentiful and illuminating. There's translation of the text and musical analysis via subtitles, a glossary of musical terms, a historical timeline of world events while Beethoven was composing, and brief bios of performers and conductor. The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is an aural knockout, but even in standard two-channel stereo, this is a musical event to cherish. --Kevin Filipski
