Missa solemnis
The Greek National Opera presents Beethoven's Missa solemnis for the first time in its history in May and June 2027 at the Stavros Niarchos Hall, a mixed performance uniting the company's Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet for the 200th anniversary of the composer's death.
The Greek National Opera’s Missa solemnis is the first presentation of Beethoven’s mass in the company’s history, announced for May and June 2027 at the Stavros Niarchos Hall in Athens. The company presents it as a mixed performance uniting its Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet, as part of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death.
Beethoven completed the Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123, in 1823, four years before his death in Vienna on 26 March 1827, and described it as his greatest work. Written for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, the mass received its first performance in St Petersburg on 7 April 1824; the GNO production adds the company’s Ballet to those forces.
The production belongs to the 2026/27 season under artistic director Giorgos Koumendakis at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Kallithea, the Renzo Piano–designed complex where the Greek National Opera has been based since 2017. The season is supported by a two-year grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.