Chor der Krieger, Chor der Jünger
Hier ist er, der Verbannte
From Beethoven: Christ on the Mount of Olives (2013)
Released by Harmonia Mundi
Beethoven: Chor der Krieger, Chor der Jünger – Hier ist er, der Verbannte
In his only Oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, Beethoven depicts the sufferings of the Son of God as an emanation of humanity. In his fear of death and his doubt, Jesus is fully the Son of Man. This conflicts with the finale of the Ninth Symphony where Beethoven clearly contrasts the divine, the “Joy” of Schiller’s ode, with the reality of the world as we experience it.