CONCORA performs Mozart Requiem April 29 at St James's Episcopal

To conclude the 2017-2018 Masterworks season, CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists), the region’s oldest all-professional choral ensemble, presents a performance of Mozart’s Requiem on Sunday, April 29, 2018, 4:00 PM, at Saint James’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford, CT. CONCORA’s Artistic Director Chris Shepard will direct CONCORA’s professional vocalists in a performance that includes Sir Michael Tippett's “Five Spirituals,” stunning choral arrangements of African-American spirituals that form the structural pillars of A Child of Our Time, Tippett’s World War II oratorio.

“In the 2017-2018 season, when CONCORA is presenting the greatest choral masterworks, it was a natural choice to conclude the series with the Mozart Requiem,” said Chris Shepard, the ensemble’s Artistic Director.

Composed just as Mozart was reaching the height of his creative powers, and left incomplete at his death in 1791 the Requiem offers exquisite melodies, rich orchestration, and a dramatic sweep that remain compelling after more than two centuries.

“Part of the mystique of the Requiem is the swirl of speculation, mystery, and gossip that has surrounded it since Mozart laid down his pen,” said Shepard. “Who was the anonymous patron who commissioned this music? Was Mozart poisoned, and if so, by whom? Do we know for sure which parts of the Requiem were composed by Mozart himself, and which might have been completed by others?”

CONCORA will perform the Requiem as it was completed by Franz Süssmayr, a composer who had assisted Mozart in his final year as a copyist.

“Modern scholarship has answered a great many of the questions about the Requiem’s origins and completion, but in the end, perhaps it doesn’t matter,” observed Shepard. “What we do know for sure is that many of the Requiem’s most heart-wrenching passages—especially the dark opening measures and the first part of the heartbreaking Lacrymosa—were composed by Mozart, and that they remain as compelling today as they must have been when they were first heard more than two centuries ago.”

CONCORA will dedicate this performance of the Mozart Requiem to the memory of long-time CONCORA singer and staff member Christine Laird, who passed away on March 18, 2018, after a brief illness.

The program opens with arrangements by British composer Sir Michael Tippett (1905-1998) of five African-American spirituals. In his large-scale oratorio A Child of Our Time, Tippett used these spirituals much as Bach used chorales within his oratorios, deploying them at various intervals to act as a proxy for the audience to reflect on the action.

“These appealing and effective arrangements are rightly considered masterworks of the twentieth century choral canon,” said Shepard. “They combine the eternal power of African-American spirituals with the high artistic mastery of one of England’s great modern composers.”

EVENT DETAILS:

What: Choral Concert: Music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Sir Michael Tippet performed by the professional choir CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists) and professional orchestra, conducted by CONCORA’s Artistic Director Chris Shepard.

Program: Mozart Requiem (complete), and Tippett’s “Five Spirituals” from A Child of Our Time.

When: Sunday, April 29, 2018, 4:00 PM

Where: Saint James’s Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT. There is plenty of free parking on surrounding streets.

Accessible: Yes

Tickets: $10-$55. Discounted rates are available for general admission and senior tickets for groups of 8 or more. 2-for-1 general admission tickets are available with the Let*s Go! Arts card; contact the CONCORA office for details.

Reserve Tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mozart-requiem-tickets-35017949630

Tickets are also available at the door on the day of the concert, though advance reservations are recommended for preferred seating.