The Mount of Olives

Mount of Olives (also referred to by the full title ‘Christ on the Mount of Olives’), Op. 85, is an oratorio by Ludwig van Beethoven portraying the emotional turmoil of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane prior to his crucifixion. The libretto in German is by the poet Franz Xaver Huber. It was first performed on April 5, 1803 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna; in 1811, it was revised by Beethoven for publication by Breitkopf & Härtel.

Mount of Olives is a dramatic oratorio rather than a religious choral Mass or a dramatic opera, and is considered a much more humanistic portrayal of the Christ passion than other settings, such as those by Bach. It concludes at the point of Jesus personally accepting his fate, placing the emphasis on his own decision rather than the later Crucifixion or Resurrection.