A Pearl of a Man Leads the HSO in Mozart’s Requiem

This Saturday evening Sheralyn and I will once again make our trek to downtown Houston to Jones Hall for a special Houston Symphony Orchestra Concert. Special in two ways: This will be an all Mozart concert featuring Mozart’s bright fun Symphony #29 in A Major and also Mozart’s iconic, dramatic Requiem in D minor. This also will be a special concert as we have a guest conductor: the legendary Israeli-American violinist and conductor, Itzhak Perlman.

From the Houston Symphony Orchestra website: “Mozart’s genius burns with brooding intensity in the legendary Requiem that was to become his own funeral music. Instantly recognizable thanks to its use in the multi-Academy-Award-winning film Amadeus, to experience it live is to feel its brilliance. Houston Symphony Artistic Partner Itzhak Perlman conducts orchestra, chorus, and outstanding vocal soloists in this must-see concert event.”

What a blessing it will be for me and my wife to be able to see the great Itzhak Perlman leading our world class Houston Symphony Orchestra in this great concert program.

Mozart’s Symphony #29 is a fun symphony as Mozart turns a simple two note motif into a bright first movement. I talked about this in a previous post: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Simply Genius. He scored this symphony in the key of A Major with 4 movements: 1. Allegro Moderato; 2. Andante; 3. Menuetto Trio-Allegretto; and 4. Allegro con spirito.

Mozart’s Requiem is a requiem mass [unfinished at his death on December 5, 1791-completed with using Mozart’s written ideas by Franz Xaver Sussmayr] was scored in D minor with 8 sections: 1. Introitus; 2.Kyrie; 3. Sequentia-[a. Dies Irae, b. Tuba Mirum, c. Rex tremende, d. Recordare, e. Confulatis, f. Lacrymosa]; 4. Offertorium; 5. Sanctus; 6. Benedictus; 7. Agnus Dei; and 8. Communio.

Please turn up the volume to hear the two wonderful pieces by W.A. Mozart that my wife and I will be hearing in Jones Hall this Saturday night.

W. A. Mozart: Symphony #29 in A Major: