The Royal Choral Society, accompanied by the world renowned Academy of St Martin in the Fields, presents a double bill of Mozart's distinguished pieces.
Mozart composed two of his greatest works during the last months of his short life. His hauntingly beautiful Requiem was commissioned by a stranger and unfinished at the composer’s death. His pupil Franz Süßmayr’s first ‘completion’ has been challenged by scholars, and in this concert the Royal Choral Society will perform the version by Mozart scholar Franz Beyer. Whichever edition performers use, the entirety of the work in all cases reveals the full scope of Mozart’s genius and depth of expression up to his very last days.
Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto – his final orchestral work, and arguably the greatest concerto written for any wind instrument – is full of rapturous melody and intense harmony. Composed for his friend Anton Stadler, the work showcases the profoundly expressive range of this instrument, especially in the sublime second movement.
The concert opens with Haydn’s stirring motet Insanae et vanae curae.
This is the first visit to The Anvil by the Royal Choral Society, one of the UK’s largest symphonic choirs, which recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. The choir has been performing choral masterpieces ever since its formation for the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, including the UK première of Verdi’s Requiem in 1875, conducted by Verdi himself. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958, has an enviable international reputation for its distinctive and refined sound, showcased by the orchestra’s performance on the soundtrack to the Oscar-winner film about Mozart, Amadeus.