Above: the grave of Ludwig van Beethoven at Vienna Central Cemetery. One of his final works was his Missa Solemnis. Two hundred years ago, on April 6, 1824, was performed for the first time in St. Petersburg the Missa Solemnis in D major for four solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, Op. 123 by Ludwig van Beethoven (†1827), “one of the greatest examples of will to power achieved by art” (P.