Music lovers who attended the world premiere of Beethoven's "Christ on the Mount of Olives" at the Theater an der Wien on April 5, 1803 were in for something of a shock. What they heard onstage was a tenor in the part of Jesus Christ who began to sing a kind of love duet with his angel, all in the beatific key of A-flat major...

Oratorio  or opera? "Christ on the Mount of Olives", Beethoven's Passion music from 1803, occupies a confusing space as a hybrid between the two. To be sure, Beethoven unmistakably based his work on the great oratorios of Joseph Haydn. At the same time, though, he allows Jesus to show off as a sensitive and passionate opera hero, while the angel sparkles with virtuoso coloratura. The work's dark introduction depicts the spiritual agony of Jesus with a vividness that foreshadows "Fidelio"–Beethoven's sole opera, which he began to conceive immediately after composing "Christ on the Mount of Olives". On March 21, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, dean of the historically informed performance movement, together with his Concentus Musicus Wien, gives a rare opportunity to experience Beethoven's version of Christian Passion story. Also on the program is the "Mourning Cantata on the Death of Joseph II", a composition from Beethoven's early years in Bonn that lay undiscovered until 1884. This score by the 19-year-old composer is an impressive document that proves his early musical mastery. Give yourself a surprise and experience a different kind of Easter!
To purchase tickets