Premiered in 1824, around the same time as the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven dedicated his Missa Solemnis to the Archduke Rudolph, brother of the Emperor Franz and Beethoven's longest-time patron. Scored for large orchestra, full chorus, and a quartet of vocal soloists, the Missa is notorious for its technical difficulties; and yet its monumental intellectual, emotional, and spiritual vision places it among Beethoven’s most rewarding and affecting compositions. The composer himself considered it his greatest work. Amidst the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, Beethoven's words, inscribed at the head of the manuscript, speaks to its essential message: "From the heart – may it return to the heart!" To coincide with the 200th anniversary of the premiere of the Missa Solemnis in 1824, enjoy this performance by the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival. Italian veteran Riccardo Muti leads.