The Orfeó Català and the Cor de Cambra del Palau are travelling to Los Angeles to take part in an exceptional production of Ludwig van Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. The choirs will join the prestigious Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil), conducted by the renowned Gustavo Dudamel, for three concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, one of the world's most iconic venues. The Minister of Culture for the Government of Catalonia, Sònia Hernández Almodóvar, will attend the first concert on 20 February.

Beyond being a monumental, universal work and one of the most complex pieces in the symphonic choral repertoire, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis holds special significance in the history of the Orfeó Català. The Orfeó was the first choir in Spain to perform this work. The performance took place in 1927, conducted by Lluís Millet, to commemorate the centenary of Beethoven's death. This formidable challenge for the choir culminated in three concerts, alongside a radio broadcast and a record release. Later, on 18 March 1962, Millet returned to conduct the Orfeó's last performance of the piece. In Los Angeles, the choir will perform the work under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, conductor of the LA Phil.

The Orfeó, comprising over 125 members, has been rehearsing and performing the piece in public over recent months under the direction of Xavier Puig, alongside the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès.

The event, supported by the Institut Ramon Llull (the Catalan cultural diplomacy body), also marks Dudamel's farewell as conductor of the LA Phil. Although he is a Beethoven expert and has conducted all of the composer's other works, this will be Dudamel's first time conducting Missa Solemnis. During the presentation of the concerts, Dudamel himself explained that he considers the piece to be "the Holy Grail of the symphonic repertoire. At its core, it is about faith—faith in something greater than ourselves". Tickets for the Los Angeles performances of this "sonic cathedral" are already sold out.