Mozart's Requiem | Lymington Choral Society

Mozart's well known Requiem is contrasted with two lesser known italian baroque pieces. Lymington Choral Society and Lymington Classical Players will be joined by four young soloists from The Royal Academy of Music, London.

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) had an even shorter life than Mozart but managed to cram into it much violin playing and composition. He set a new style with his comic operas, instigating the celebrated Querelle des Bouffons when they were performed in Paris. His Magnificat in B flat, which is sometimes attributed to Durante, pulsates with energy and life.

Alma del core and Come raggio di sol are among several operatic arias by the prolific Venetian composer, Antonio Caldara (1670-1736), which are well known through vocal anthologies. Caldara had a great affection for Salzburg (later to become Mozart's birthplace) and wrote numerous works for the opera house there. His Stabat Mater displays a mastery of counterpoint and stilo antico. The soloists and choir are subtly supported by strings, two trombones and organ.

The Requiem of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) lay unfinished at his premature death. His colleague and copyist, Franz Xaver Süssmayr (1766-1803) who was also a composer in his own right, completed the work. Although there have been other completions, the one by Süssmayr has stood the test of time. The sombre but dramatic Requiem was composed during Mozart's last year which included such diverse works as the opera seria La Clemenza di Tito and the comic Singspiel Die Zauberflöte.