Beethoven, Ludwig van - Mass in C Major; Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt; Vestas Feuer - Segerstam, Leif

The celebration of Princess Esterhazy's name day with a newly composed mass began in the 1790s, and Joseph Haydn continued the tradition for many years. In 1807, Beethoven commissioned a composition, and he responded with his Mass in C major. The work, which was coolly received at court, is a magnificent celebration on a grand scale. The cantata Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt is set to poems by Goethe, contrasting calmness and joy. In 1803, Beethoven composed two numbers from the opera Vestas Feuer, written by Emanuel Schikaneder, the librettist of Mozart's The Magic Flute.