On Midsummer’s Eve, York Musical Society (YMS) will take a journey through the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an all-Mozart programme in the glorious surroundings of York Minster – the perfect way to spend a summer’s evening.
The choir’s tour begins with the Misericordias Domini of 1775, written when Mozart was about 19 years old but already an experienced performer and composer. It is a setting for chorus and orchestra of a repeated, short Latin text. Its exquisite harmonies give no suggestion that, as Mozart later wrote to a friend, he had to write it “in a great hurry” in order to please a patron.
Symphony No. 40, written in 1788, is the next part of YMS’s exploration. It is scored for flute, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and strings and is one of Mozart’s most-admired orchestral works. It is known to have been highly thought of by his contemporaries and by later composers, including Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms. The Symphony No. 40 will be recognised even by those who don’t know they know it!
The final leg of YMS’s Mozart odyssey is his Requiem, which he was composing at the time of his death in 1791 at the age of 35.
Conductor David Pipe says:
“Conducting these three great works in York Minster will be a huge privilege. Misericordias Domini shows great maturity of style, despite being composed when Mozart was only 19 years old. The famous Symphony No. 40 demonstrates compositional mastery, full of melody, intricate imitation and emotion. Finally, Mozart’s wonderful Requiem is justifiably recognised as one of the masterpieces of western classical music.”
Tickets are available through York Theatre Royal box office: 01904 623568 yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or through the York Minster website: yorkminster.org or on the door on the night. Tickets are priced at £5, £10, £15 and £20, plus concessions.
