A thriving choir is practising for its performance of Mozart’s Requiem, composed on his death bed – and still shrouded in mystery.
The work is part of South Chiltern Choral Society’s concert at Greyfriars Church, Reading on March 29 at 6pm.
The choir, which has grown in size, says the Requiem is “a choral masterpiece composed in 1791. Its beauty and mystery make it one of Mozart’s most celebrated works. Poignantly its first public performance was at Mozart’s own funeral before he’d finished it.”
The Requiem was completed by his pupil – it’s a mystery how much the pupil relied on music sketched out by Mozart. It’s believed the music’s secret commissioner may originally have hoped to pass it off as his own work.
The choir’s concert, with a professional orchestra and soloists, also includes Faure’s Cantique de Jean Racine, Rachmaninov’s Ave Maria and Mozart’s Laudate Dominum.
Tickets at £20, £10 for under 18s, are available from www.southchilternchoralsociety.org.uk or at the door. Light refreshments will be available.
