Magnificent Mozar t

Newbury Choral Society: Mozart Requiem at St Nicolas’ Church, Newbury on Saturday, April 13 Review by DEREK ANSELL

ALWAYS a popular choice for concerts, Mozart’s Requiem could be described as great music that he never wrote.

It is known he died before completing the work and it was handed to respected composer Sussmayr who was also Mozart’s copyist at the time. How much Mozart wrote or didn’t has been the subject of speculation for centuries. A complete edition of the work, finished by Sussmayr, was delivered by Mozart’s wife Constanze to Count Franz von Walsegg, who commissioned the work, in 1792, a few months after the composer’s death and that is the version performed on this occasion.

And what a performance.

Beginning slowly, gently, conductor Joe Tobin coaxed a well-structured, eloquent performance from choir and orchestra throughout. A powerful sound from the orchestra was juxtaposed with clean, lean voices from the choir.

Much attention was applied to melodic lines and the firm rhythms this work relies on, so that what we heard was a steady musical performance with warmth of expression and the tempi never slow or rushed.

There was plenty of contrast too with powerful readings of the fugues and quieter passages for the Offertorium. The soloists were all impressive and worked well together and separately. Johannes Moore provided a firm bass line, deep and rich in timbre. Claire Ward was a bright, warm soprano, her entries clear and well defined. There was fine solo singing from mezzo soprano Milette Gillow and sturdy tenor from Zahid Siddiqui. The singing of the choir was impressive throughout.

So, maybe the Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei were written by Sussmayr but most likely, as suggested by programme note writer Jane Hawker, he was working from Mozart’s verbal instructions or the many scraps of paper that Constanze claimed he left lying around. Whatever, this was a vigorous, rhythmically precise reading of the Requiem by soloists, choir and orchestra under the baton of Joe Tobin.

After the interval, the mood was lightened by a brisk and bubbly performance of Divertimento in D. The first movement was taken at a flowing tempo, contrasting neatly with the slow, stately Andante. The Presto rounded it off in style. The Laudate Dominium followed, the 5th movement of Vesperae solennes de confessore. Claire Ward’s pure soprano voice floated out joyously. The concert ended with Mozart’s only Te Deum, probably composed in Salzburg at the end of 1769 when the composer was all of 13!