New York Choral Society: Mozart's Requiem May 1, 2010

Mozart: Requiem, K. 626

Bernstein: Chichester Psalms

James DeMars: Tito's Say

New York Choral Society and Orchestra
John Daly Goodwin, Music Director and Conductor
Joyce El-Khoury, Soprano
Elizabeth Batton, Mezzo-Soprano
Michele Angelini, Tenor
Daniel Mobbs. Bass

Mozart's Requiem is one of the most popular and beloved works in the choral repertoire. The myths surrounding Mozart and the writing of this piece have continued and been embellished upon since its creation. The work was commissioned by Count Franz Walsegg zu Stuppach (with the intention of passing it off as his own) to honor the memory of his wife. At the time of his death, Mozart had completed the "Introit" and "Kyrie," leaving only the chorus parts and a bass line with occasional remarks to indicate the orchestration for the rest of the movements up through the beginning of the "Lacrymosa." His student Franz Xaver Süssmayr was given the task of realizing the sketches and completing the work. There have been many debates and discussions surrounding the piece ever since. Mozart may have died in poverty but his musical legacy, and particularly his Requiem, has brought outstanding beauty and richness to Western culture like few other composers.

The Chichester Psalms is a piece of great strength and beauty. The New York Choral Society performed the first movement of this piece under the baton of Bernstein himself at the opening of the New York City Ballet's American Music Festival in 1988. The work's world premiere took place in Philharmonic Hall (now Avery Fisher Hall) on July 15, 1965, conducted by the composer; it was followed by a performance in the Chichester Festival later the same month.

James DeMars's Tito's Say is a four-movement cantata set to texts by Alberto "Tito" Rios. This engaging work was commissioned by the Arizona Choral Arts Society and received its world premiere in 1989 under the baton of our current music director, John Daly Goodwin. The final movement, "Ventura and Clemente," is a rollicking account of the courtship of two young Mexican lovers and is representative of the entire piece.