Mozart in der Elbphilharmonie: "Davide penitente"

In the organizer's words:

Introduction at 7 pm in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie

Performers:
Klaas Stok, conductor
Liv Redpath, soprano
Jane Archibald, soprano
Sebastian Kohlhepp, tenor
Potsdam Chamber Academy
NDR Vocal Ensemble

Program:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Kyrie in D minor K 341
- Masonic funeral music K 477
- Litaniae de venerabili altaris Sacramento K 243
- Cantata "Davide penitente" K 469

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Musical upcycling
It is not without reason that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered both a genius and a great prankster. When the Vienna Tonkünstlersozietät, a kind of pension fund for widows and orphans, asked him to compose a new work for a fundraising concert, he combined his acceptance with a request to be included. As the father of a family, Mozart wanted his wife and child to be protected.

However, the composition he provided was not new. The clever Mozart had saved time and effort and simply added a different text to his unfinished Great Mass in C minor. After all, no one in Vienna knew the mass, which Mozart quickly gave the name "Davide penitente" ("Penitent David") and transformed into a cantata.

Better than the original?
Mozart wrote two further (and indeed new!) bravura arias for the first-class Viennese soloists. And so the Great Mass in C minor under the title "Davide penitente" is actually even more opulent than the already grandiose original, which is celebrated by today's music critics as one of the highlights of church music.

Conductor Klaas Stok complements "Davide penitente" with further sacred works by the Salzburg composer. And the NDR Vokalensemble will be joined by an excellent partner in the Kammerakademie Potsdam. In 2022, the instrumental ensemble was named best orchestra of the year by Opus Klassik.

Price information:

Discount offers available