Soloists:
Olga Trifonova (soprano)
Irina Vasilieva(mezzo-soprano)
Alexander Timchenko (tenor)
Alexander Morozov (bass)
Chorus and Symphony Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre
Principal Chorus Master: Andrei Petrenko
The Große Messe in C Minor was composed in 1782 and was the last of numerous masses composed by Mozart starting when he was ten years of age. The work appeared in accordance with a promise given by the composer when his fiancée Constanze was ill. The first performance of three of the movements of the mass – Kyrie, Gloria and Sanctus – took place on 26 August 1783 at St Peter’s in Salzburg (Constanze sang the soprano part). The movements Credo and Agnus Dei were not yet finished, and Mozart was not to finish the work at a later date. The probable reason was the politics of Emperor Josef II regarding church music, which bore the motif “The simpler the music the more it corresponds to Christian humility and reverence”. In 1783 specifically, the use of musical instruments was strictly limited. For such monumental works as the Große Messe, the prospects were not good. Instead, Mozart used the music of the mass in the oratorio Davidde Penitente. |