The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Manfred Honeck, performs Beethoven's Mass with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and vocal soloists.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is performing Beethoven's Mass at Heinz Hall on Friday, December 4, 2026. Maestro Manfred Honeck leads the orchestra, joined by the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and vocal soloists. The Mass is the center of the program, and it's a big one—a choral work that brings together the orchestra, the choir, and the soloists on one stage.
The evening doesn't stop with Beethoven. The Mass is paired with two other pieces: Arvo Pärt's Fratres and Paul Hindemith's Mathis der Maler. Fratres is a meditative, quiet work from Pärt, while Mathis der Maler brings a bolder, more dramatic energy. Between the two, they frame the Mass from opposite ends of the mood spectrum—one still and inward, the other outward and theatrical.
There's a clear thread running through the pairing. The PSO describes Beethoven's Mass as a monumental work of joy, majestic beauty, and the human spirit, and they've built the whole program around the symphony's choral writing. Fratres and Mathis der Maler act as contemporary reflections on that, two different ways of looking at the same spirit. Hearing them together gives you a sense of how that choral tradition carries over into later music.
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The concert runs from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM at Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222.
