7.30pm at St Paul's Cathedral, cnr Molesworth and Hill Street, Wellington
Soloists: Morag Atchison soprano; Bianca Andrew mezzo soprano; Bonaventure Allan-Moetaua tenor; Shane Lowrencev bass
The intrigue surrounding the composition of Mozart’s Requiem is almost as far-fetched as Peter Shaffer's famous play, ‘Amadeus’. In reality, the Requiem was secretly commissioned by the wealthy nobleman, Count Franz von Walsegg, who intended to pass off the work as his own – hence the secrecy.
At the time of his death, Mozart was heavily in debt and his young widow Constanze set about securing the family’s future by completing the commission in order to be paid the fee. Mozart’s pupil, the 21-year-old Franz Süssmayr, eventually took on the task and with the help of other composers added the Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei and the final section, Lux aeterna, based on Mozart’s own sketches.
In the last 200 years, there have been several attempts at alternative completions but it is the Süssmayr version that is the most familiar and the one used in this performance.
Tickets on sale at Ticketek from 1 April
http://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=MOZARTRE12#.T0aazHmD_cg
