Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Requiem KV 626 - Evgeni Orkin - Letters from the Shadow

Description

The Requiem in D minor KV 626 from 1791 is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's last composition. The mysterious circumstances of the commission and Mozart's early death while working on the Requiem have always been a source of myth-making, making this magnificent work even more mysterious. Mozart left the piece as a fragment, famously completed by Süßmayr based on sketches, most of which were found in Mozart's estate after his death. An exception is the sketch for an Amen fugue, which was discovered in 1960 by the German musicologist Wolfgang Plath. This fugue was probably intended as the conclusion for the Lacrimosa. Several completions of this piece now exist. If one wishes to perform this Amen fugue, it makes little sense to use Süßmayr's completion of the Requiem. Therefore, we decided to complete it with Richard Maunder. The orchestra L’arpa festante commissioned the Ukrainian composer Evgeni Orkin, who lives in Germany, to write a piece that could serve as a musical bridge to Mozart's Requiem. The composition "Letters from the Shadow" was premiered in Heidelberg last October. It is a musical setting of letters from Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and his youngest son Franz Xaver Mozart. The term "shadow" can be interpreted in various ways: as the shadow of past times, from which the letters speak to us, as well as life in the shadow of a demanding or famous father. Additionally, the work features isolated motifs from Mozart's works in shadowy form. The composer writes: "Without pushing to the forefront, the piece is understood as a gentle framing and introduction to the great Requiem." Karla Massouh, soprano
Luzia Ernst, alto
Florian Cramer, tenor
Friedmann Röhlig, bass
Orchestra: Baroque Orchestra L’arpa festante
Choir: Freiburg Oratorio Choir
Conductor: Bernhard Gärtner
Copyright: Freiburg Oratorio Choir

Highlights

• Performance of Mozart's Requiem in D minor KV 626
• World premiere of Evgeni Orkin's "Letters from the Shadow"
• Richard Maunder's completion of the Requiem

General Information

The concert features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's last work, the Requiem in D minor KV 626, as well as the world premiere of Evgeni Orkin's composition. The event takes place in Waldkirch and offers a unique musical connection between the past and the present.

Location

Kirchplatz 9, 79183 Waldkirch, Germany

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