BEETHOVEN & MOZART project

“Evil, be thou my Good: by thee at least / Divided empire with Heaven’s King I hold, / By thee, and more than half perhaps will reign; / As Man ere long, and this new World, shall know.” With these bold words, spoken by Satan in Paradise Lost, John Milton captured a dark vision of power—one that would resonate centuries later. As the 19th century approached, Ludwig van Beethoven, inspired by the Enlightenment, also explored the idea that power might rise from rebellion, even from defiance of moral order.

This dramatic inner conflict is at the heart of the opening concert of the 60th International Festival Wratislavia Cantans. Il Giardino Armonico and the NFM Choir, conducted by Giovanni Antonini, will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, a work born in a time when the composer’s political ideals were being put to the test.

The concert begins with another brilliant piece: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Coronation Mass. Written in early 1779 after Mozart’s return to Salzburg, the Mass reflects a careful balance between his artistic brilliance—honed during years of travel—and the strict expectations of his employer, Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. The Archbishop preferred sacred music to be short and dignified, and Mozart delivered just that. The Coronation Mass is compact and graceful, yet full of theatrical flair. Its festive character is enhanced by the use of percussion and lively wind instruments. Premiered at Easter, the piece quickly gained popularity beyond Salzburg. It was performed at the 1791 coronation of Emperor Leopold II in Prague, and again the following year for his successor, Francis II—hence the name “Coronation” Mass.

Francis, newly crowned as emperor and king, soon found himself at war with revolutionary France. By then, Napoleon Bonaparte had taken control and would soon shake Europe’s political order. The conflict eventually forced Francis to give up the title of Holy Roman Emperor. Ironically, Beethoven might have welcomed that outcome—if only Napoleon hadn’t crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804. Just two years earlier, full of hope for the republican ideals Napoleon once seemed to represent, Beethoven had started composing his Symphony No. 3, even titling it Bonaparte. But when he heard the news of Napoleon’s self-coronation, he furiously scratched out the dedication, exclaiming, “Now he too will trample on the rights of man and become a tyrant!”

What remained was a powerful, revolutionary work, still bearing the traces of Beethoven’s disillusionment. He eventually subtitled it, with a touch of irony, Heroic Symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man. And so, the Eroica was born—a turning point in music history and a portrait of a hero who never quite was.