Mozart Requiem - Symphonic Chorus Concert March 22, 2008

Time: 2008/3/22
Venue: Forbidden City Music Hall
Price: 30/60/90/120/180/280/380
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Tel: 86-10-64177845

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Performed by: Bergen Opera House Chorus of Norway

Symphony Orchestra of the China Opera and Dance Theatre

Conductor: Anna Alwi

RequiemMass was written by Mozart in 1791. As it turned out, this was Mozart'slast piece of music. He was commissioned to write it by Count FranzWalsegg-Stupach, although this was unknown to Mozart. CountWalsegg-Stupach wanted a Requiem as a memorial for his wife - and wasprobably planning to pass it off as his own. He sent along a messenger,thought to be his steward, Franz Anton Leitgeb, to pay Mozart and checkhow the Requiem was coming along.

Alreadyill with a fever, Mozart got sicker and sicker when writing theRequiem. He started fearing the worst, that he was writing the Requiemfor his own funeral.

Withoutcompleting the Requiem, Mozart died on the 5 December, 1791, at the ageof 35. He had left notes on the first seven sections and the day beforehis death he had been well enough to sing parts of the incompleteRequiem with some of his friends. Mozart himself sang the alto part,and used friends and actors from his new opera, Die Zauberfl?te (TheMagic Flute) for the other parts. Benedikt Shack (who played Tamino inDie Zauberfl?te) sang the soprano part in falsetto, Franz Hofer (aviolinist and Mozart's brother-in-law) sang the tenor part and FranzGerl (Sarastro in Die Zauberfl?te) sang bass. One oral source, possiblycontaining inconsistencies, said that when the group was singing theLacrimosa, Mozart broke down and began to sob uncontrollably.

AfterMozart's death, his wife Constanze tried to find somebody to completethe Requiem. She first asked Joseph Eybler, who had been one ofMozart's students, to complete the Requiem, but Eybler gave up after avery short time. Franz Süssmayr, who had been another of Mozart'sstudents, and a good friend of Constanze, then agreed to complete theRequiem. He wrote some sections himself, but also repeated and expandedupon parts Mozart wrote. Much of the end of the Requiem is similar tothe beginning as Süssmayr borrowed from sections Mozart had alreadywritten.

TheRequiem was not played at Mozart's funeral, as it was not ready and itis not known if any music was played, but his Requiem has been playedat memorials for him ever since.

Repertoire:

Mozart: Requiem
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Requiem

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