Solti Conducts Beethoven

In anticipation of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday anniversary, Sir Georg Solti leads the Orchestra and Chorus in two Grammy Award–winning recordings of works that bookend the composer’s career. Theodore Thomas, the Orchestra’s founder and first music director, called the First Symphony, “a noble work [and a] connecting link between the art of the classic and that of the romantic period.” The monumental Missa solemnis—“the greatest undertaking of his career,” according to Phillip Huscher—completes this program.

Beethoven Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
Sir Georg Solti conductor
May 1974 (London)

Beethoven Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123
Sir Georg Solti conductor
Lucia Popp soprano
Yvonne Minton mezzo-soprano
Mallory Walker tenor
Gwynne Howell bass
Victor Aitay violin
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Margaret Hillis director
May 1977 (London)

From the CSO’s Archives: The First 130 Years—featuring recordings from the CSO’s vast discography, including releases on CSO Resound—is a cultural and community partnership between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Music Station.

FTA130-07