Mozart: Requiem

It is hard to imagine two composers more different in character than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Anton Bruckner. The impulsive genius, the sociable bon vivant who was not averse to ruffling the feathers of authority figures – and the self-doubting, headstrong perfectionist. Yet they share more than just their homeland of Austria.

Bruckner’s String Quintet is one of those compositions that take you by surprise, for of all people, the great symphonist was able – albeit on this one occasion – to find enthusiasm for the small ensemble. He remained true to himself in the chamber concert version as well, in which the deep religiosity of the devout Catholic is expressed even without a liturgical occasion. Mozart, on the other hand – whose faith was more influenced by the Enlightenment and humanism – created one of the most famous requiems of all time with his Requiem. It was not out of vanity, but out of reverence for the great master, that Mozart’s pupil Franz Xaver Süßmeyer wished to be named as the composer of the missing parts of the Requiem. The Cologne Chamber Orchestra performs Franz Beyer’s respectful revision, which is characterised above all by a more transparent instrumentation.