"Christ on the Mount of Olives", oratorio for three solo voices, chorus and orchestra op. 85
Listening samples
Composition
March 1803
Throughout his life Beethoven was always looking for good librettos for dramatic works and operas. As early as the 1790s he dreamt of writing a great opera. Still, he set out with caution and thorough preparation. First, from 1802 he took lessons in dramatic composition from one of the great masters, Antonio Salieri. He then tried a related genre, the oratorio, which also employs dramatic effects and deals with words. Beethovens only oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, is based on a subject quite frequently set to music in the Alpine region: the introduction to the Passion. Jesus, after the Last Supper with his disciples, withdraws in fear to the Garden of Gethsemane, only to be betrayed by them and captured. Beethoven said he composed his oratorio in March 1803 in just two weeks.
The oratorio was premièred at the Theater an der Wien on 5 April 1803, together with the Third Piano Concerto and the First and Second Symphonies. The anonymous critic of the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (25 May 1803) was angered by the performance: 'In addition, Herr Beethoven performed a cantata of his own composition, Christ on the Mount of Olives. On the following day, nobody understood why he demanded double the usual price for seats in the first row, triple for the reserved seats and 12 ducats instead of four florins for each box. One must not forget, of course, that this was Herr Beethovens first try in the genre. I hope that for his second try he will offer a more characteristic composition and a better pricing policy.'
The composition's failure was mainly due to the weaknesses of Franz Xaver Huberts libretto, which is quite simple, if not ridiculous, and short on dramatic elements.
To revive the piece on 27 March 1804, Beethoven adapted it in such a way that its original version of 1803 can hardly be reconstructed. The text was changed even more. Probably at the suggestion of Breitkopf & Härtel, who published the original in 1811, the libretto was linguistically and stylistically adapted to satisfy contemporary taste and expectations. The result was a different, more pleasant but not necessarily superior piece. Beethoven was well aware of this. In later years he rejected subjects when he was not fully convinced of their quality and diction. In August 1811 he wrote to Breitkopf & Härtel, 'It is quite certain that I would now write an oratorio far differently from the way I did back then'. Yet he never wrote another oratorio, despite several requests and plans to do so. (J.R.)
The oratorio was premièred at the Theater an der Wien on 5 April 1803, together with the Third Piano Concerto and the First and Second Symphonies. The anonymous critic of the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (25 May 1803) was angered by the performance: 'In addition, Herr Beethoven performed a cantata of his own composition, Christ on the Mount of Olives. On the following day, nobody understood why he demanded double the usual price for seats in the first row, triple for the reserved seats and 12 ducats instead of four florins for each box. One must not forget, of course, that this was Herr Beethovens first try in the genre. I hope that for his second try he will offer a more characteristic composition and a better pricing policy.'
The composition's failure was mainly due to the weaknesses of Franz Xaver Huberts libretto, which is quite simple, if not ridiculous, and short on dramatic elements.
To revive the piece on 27 March 1804, Beethoven adapted it in such a way that its original version of 1803 can hardly be reconstructed. The text was changed even more. Probably at the suggestion of Breitkopf & Härtel, who published the original in 1811, the libretto was linguistically and stylistically adapted to satisfy contemporary taste and expectations. The result was a different, more pleasant but not necessarily superior piece. Beethoven was well aware of this. In later years he rejected subjects when he was not fully convinced of their quality and diction. In August 1811 he wrote to Breitkopf & Härtel, 'It is quite certain that I would now write an oratorio far differently from the way I did back then'. Yet he never wrote another oratorio, despite several requests and plans to do so. (J.R.)
