±«Óãtv

Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony is sometimes overshadowed by the unsurpassable Third (see 6 February) and the dah-dah-dah-dah familiarity of the Fifth, but this is a major work by a composer in the thick of one of his most creative periods. Premiered the same year, the Mass in C major was described as ‘unbearably ridiculous’ by the Hungarian prince who financed its creation, an unbearably ridiculous verdict on a work that bridges the church and the concert hall better than almost any other. In association with the Dresden Music Festival, tonight’s concert brings together the ±«Óãtv Philharmonic, the Dresden Chamber Choir and four outstanding international soloists under the baton of Omer Meir Wellber.