When Beethoven's fame began to spread more widely in Europe, it was not so much due to his symphonies, quartets or sonatas, but more to works such as the here recorded Christus am Ölberg, an oratorio about the latter written over three weeks in 1803. night of Jesus' life. The text comes from Franz Xaver Huber and is especially striking because it violates the convention that no new text could be
… made for the role of Jesus. Traditionally, his musical contribution to sororatories was limited to His texts in the Gospels. Here, however, the Savior's personal human suffering is central. Therefore, new texts have been added that should clarify the personal suffering of Jesus, Peter and even God himself. Even for a non-believer this piece therefore makes a curious impression. The music is beautiful, but miles away from the innovations that Beethoven would introduce in his next work, the Third Symphony. Probably both characteristics contributed to the popularity of this piece at the time. (JvG)more
