Sat 4 Dec
W. A. Mozart, Requiem
at the Hour of His Death
12 midnight | St. Stephen’s Cathedral
In the night from 4 to 5 December 1791, Mozart died of "hot frieselfever" in Vienna. Every year on this occasion the Night Requiem, which ends with a solemn procession and the ringing of the death bell approximately at the minute of the composer's death (5 December 1791, 0:55am), represents an atmospheric highlight in the concert calendar of St. Stephen's Cathedral.
W. A. Mozart’s Requiem is one of the best and most moving pieces classical music has to offer. The myths surrounding Mozart's last composition contribute to the incredible appeal of this masterpiece. The Requiem is filled with the strong emotions that come to man in the face of death: Fear, anger, despair, sadness, hope, consolation.
During his lifetime and after his death, Mozart was associated with the cathedral in several ways: He married Constanze Weber there, had two of his children baptized in the cathedral and a few months before his death, Mozart applied for the position of music director adjunct at St. Stephen's. Mozart's name can be found both in the record of his death and in the cathedral's Book of Death Fees.
The concert will be performed by the Really Big Chorus, a choir composed of singers from all over the world, but especially members from Great Britain. Together with the musicians of the Vienna Cathedral Orchestra, the work will be performed in the atmospheric St. Stephen's Cathedral at midnight.