Beethoven is generally acknowledged as an excellent judge of his own music, though he appeared to be unimpressed by public opinion.

For instance, he preferred his Third Symphony ("Eroica") to the more popular Fifth. He considered the C-sharp Minor Quartet finer than all the others.

And he felt the Missa Solemnis to be his greatest work. "Coming from the heart, may it return to the heart," he wrote.

This week, the Minnesota Orchestra ends its 106th subscription season with three performances of the Mass that feature the Minnesota Chorale and a quartet of distinguished soloists. Music Director Osmo Vanska conducts.

Their work is cut out for them. The Missa Solemnis is demanding and intricate and highly unconventional, including some of the most virtuosic choral passages ever written. It’s also demanding on the listener. If you go, pay particular attention to the "Agnus Dei," with its war-motive introduction and its subtle resolution.

The soloists include Christine Goerke, mezzo Jill Grove, tenor Roy Cornelius Smith and bass-baritone John Relyea. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, all in Orchestra Hall.

Preceding each performance will be talks hosted by Concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis and her husband, Michael Steinberg, the eminent musicologist. This will also mark the opportunity to bid farewell to Fleezanis, who is leaving the orchestra after two decades to join the faculty at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

Beethoven finale. Thursday, June 11, 7:30 p.m; tickets $25-$72. Friday and Saturday, June 12-13, 8 p.m; tickets $25-$83. Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.