Mozart’s Requiem in D minor

Lapa Polyphonic Choir
Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra
Osvaldo Ferreira, conductor

DATES:

1. March 29th at 18h00
   Casa das Artes, Vila Nova de Famalicão

2. April 1nd, at 21h30
   Igreja de São Pedro da Cova

3. April 3rd at 21h30
   Lapa Church, Porto

Program:

Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem in D minor, K. 626

Program Notes:

Mozart’s Requiem, K. 626, stands as one of the most enigmatic and powerful works in the sacred choral repertoire, blending sublime lyricism with dramatic orchestral color; composed in the last months of his life and left unfinished at his death in 1791, it has since been completed by various hands, most notably Franz Xaver Süssmayr, whose version solidified the work’s place in performance tradition. The Requiem’s movements move from austere, funerary grandeur to intimate tenderness—the Introit and Dies Irae convey grave, orchestral weight and rhythmic urgency, while the Lacrimosa and Recordare unfold with aching melodic lines and poignant harmonic suspensions—revealing Mozart’s mastery in expressing both the terror and consolation associated with death. Scored for chorus, soloists, and classical orchestra, it juxtaposes baroque counterpoint with Classical-era clarity, including striking uses of chromaticism, sudden dynamic contrasts, and evocative orchestral textures that heighten the emotional narrative. Beyond its liturgical function, the Requiem has become a cultural touchstone, its themes of mortality and transcendence resonating across artistic media and maintaining a central place in concert life, scholarship, and popular imagination.