Beethoven's Missa solemnis is less a liturgical work than a spiritual experience. The composer himself called it his "greatest composition" – a companion piece to the Ninth Symphony in D minor that shines radiantly in D major. The "Dona nobis pacem," "Give us your peace," leaves no one untouched. This piece is a statement – and a calling card for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and its chief conductor Klaus Mäkelä.