Cirencester Choral Society

Cirencester Choral Society
Carleton Etherington conductor

Mozart Requiem
Haydn Harmoniemesse

Two late masterpieces from the giants of the classical period feature in this programme performed by Cirencester Choral Society and the Bristol Ensemble.

The circumstances surrounding the commissioning of Mozart’s Requiem and its completion after his death by his assistant Franz Sussmayr have given rise to much scholarly and musicological debate and a number of alternatives to the Sussmayr completion. But whichever version is sung, it remains one of the finest, if not the finest, and most moving of his choral compositions with an enduring power to impress and inspire however many times it is heard.

Haydn’s Harmoniemesse is the last of his six ‘late’ masses written between 1796 and 1802. It was also the last major work that he wrote, illness preventing any significant musical output over the remaining seven years of his life. It is the most richly scored of the masses, with flute, oboes, clarinents and bassoons playing a prominent role – hence the name ‘wind-band mass’.

Tickets £12.50 for adults, £6 for students, and £3 for children, available from Cirencester Visitor Information Centre by phone on 01285 654180