Of the major Beethoven works with opus numbers, Christus am Ölberge, Op. 85 (Christ on the Mount of Olives), is one of the least often performed. Despite its high opus number, it's an early work from the first years of the 19th century; Beethoven fussed with it several times before agreeing to have it published. The libretto, focusing on Christ's reflections and dialogues with an angel and St. Peter before his arrest, doesn't quite stand up to the big musical structure Beethoven hangs on it. But the oratorio is rife with ...
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Of the major Beethoven works with opus numbers, Christus am Ölberge, Op. 85 (Christ on the Mount of Olives), is one of the least often performed. Despite its high opus number, it's an early work from the first years of the 19th century; Beethoven fussed with it several times before agreeing to have it published. The libretto, focusing on Christ's reflections and dialogues with an angel and St. Peter before his arrest, doesn't quite stand up to the big musical structure Beethoven hangs on it. But the oratorio is rife with fresh ideas that would turn up in a variety of later works. Principal among these is the opera Fidelio, Op 72, which matches Christus am Ölberge in mood, with big, idealistic but not especially tuneful arias and hefty choruses. Conductor Leif Segerstam, conducting the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis, avoids the ponderousness of some of his other Beethoven readings and delivers a performance that recognizes the work's place in the procession of events...
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![Beethoven: Christus Olberge [Hanna-Leena Haapamäki; Jussi Myllys; Niklas Spångberg; Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis; Turku Philharmonic Orchestra; Leif Segerstam] [Naxos: 8573852]](https://www0.alibris-static.com/cover/o58280k47wu_t.jpg)
