A guide to the ASO’s upcoming performances of Mozart’s ‘C Minor Mass’

During the period in his life that he was writing the “Mass” (1782-1783), Mozart was living in Vienna and spending a lot of time with Baron Gottfried van Swieten, a diplomat and amateur musician who owned several manuscripts by Bach and Handel. Mozart, and others in the Baron’s company, would examine and play through the scores, which piqued Mozart’s interest in Baroque music, specifically fugal writing, of which Bach was an undisputed master. A fugue is a multi-voice work that explores compositional possibilities using one theme (a “subject”) that is played or sung by all voices in succession, then developed through answers, countersubjects, inversions and modulations.

The “Mass” follows a specific five-part structure and is an example of Mozart trying his hand at the compositional techniques he was studying at the time. At the end of the second section — the Gloria movement — is the “cum sancto spiritu” fugue (Latin for “with the Holy Spirit”). In the following clip, listen for the way the fugue subject begins in the basses and bassoons, then moves up through the chorus and orchestral parts. You can listen for the first seven notes of the subject, or listen for the text “cum sancto spiritu” being repeated by each voice group as it is passed upward through the voices and orchestra:

The “Mass” is unique in Mozart’s sacred repertoire: He wrote it simply because he wanted to, not because a patron or church had commissioned it. He had recently married Constanze Weber after a dramatic courtship, and, by some accounts, he wrote the “Mass” as a deeply personal gesture of thanks for Constanze’s recovery from a serious illness. Mozart also claimed, in a letter to his sister Nannerl that Constanze’s fascination with Baroque fugues — she was a trained and gifted vocalist and understood music intimately — was what led to his closer study of them and perhaps his inclusion of fugues in the writing of the “Mass.”

We can only imagine their conversations about music and about the Mass itself! Regardless, we know that the soprano 1 parts were written specifically for Constanze. You can hear Mozart’s extraordinary and tender writing for his wife in the “Christe Eleison” (Latin for “Christ have mercy”) section of the opening Kyrie movement and the aria “Et incarnatus est” (Latin for “and He was made incarnate”). Ekaterina Siurina is the soprano.

This is also the only movement of the “Mass” in which the flute is used, which you can see and hear in the second clip below:

The finished parts of the “Mass” premiered in Mozart’s hometown of Salzburg in fall 1783. His father (who had only at the last moment approved his marriage) and sister attended, and Constanze sang the main soprano solos. It was quite a momentous homecoming for Mozart and his new bride.

For a very dramatic rendering of the “Mass,” you can see the performance of Leonard Bernstein conducting it with the Bavarian Radio Symphony toward the end of his life. It was recorded in the gorgeous Stiftsbasilika in Waldsassen, near the border of Germany and the Czech Republic just a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Mozart’s famous “Requiem” has been the subject of much attention and discussion in music circles, but the “C Minor Mass” is an equally important work that continues to captivate audiences with its magnitude and unique sound.

When I listen to the “Mass,” it reminds me of why Mozart remains one of my favorite composers to listen to and to play: The precise counterpoint and structure is so beautifully balanced with ethereal, otherworldly, expressive moments. It appeals to both my intellectual and emotional sides.

And if the ASO performances of the “C Minor Mass” don’t convert Mozart nonbelievers into fans, at the very least they can be a timely reminder of humanity, unity and hope.

CONCERT PREVIEW

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: Mozart’s C Minor Mass

8 p.m. Nov. 7 and 9, 3 p.m. Nov. 10. $44-$154. Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-733-4800, aso.org

::

Alexandra Shatalova Prior is a professional oboist who has performed nationally and internationally and is now an artist affiliate at Atlanta’s Emory University.

ArtsATL

ArtsATL

MEET OUR PARTNER